Phases of the Moon
by Swinging Cloud
Summary: Just another boring Silver Millennium tale starring Haruka and Michiru. But everyone else makes an appearance as well.
1. New Moon

So I've been working on this story since before the beginning of time. Or something. Anyways, I got tired of it taking up space on my computer and not going anywhere. So here it is. Right now I have about 36k words of lameness written. If the story gets any support (that is, if people can stomach it long enough to get through it) then it might motivate me to finish. Plus, I need something to do while I'm waiting for the awesome and amazing Silas to finish writing stories.

And um, Sailor Moon doesn't belong to me. At all. Boy, I wish it did, though. Then I could actually do something with myself other than write lame fanfictions. ;D

And without further ado (otherwise known as me talking on and on) sit back, relax, and try not to vomit after reading the story. :)

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_10 years previous…_

It was a period which contained no time, and endless time. A solar system on the brink of disaster, and yet, at the peak of its prosperity. These were quiet times, at the cost of a few lives who had died making it so- a small price to pay for peace. Nine planets exist within the system, each containing their own unique peoples who live, day to day, blissfully unaware of the approaching turmoil.

Yet there is one who feels the full impact of the impending chaos. One whose destiny is far greater than any other mortal who lives on these planets. She is the queen of the moon revolving around the planet Earth. Her name is Serenity.

Queen Serenity senses, and, in a way, _sees_ the imminent future. She can feel that things in the universe are not right. She knows that evil forces from another solar system are gathering to attack the planets of her solar system, taking away their hard-won peace, and she knows there is but one way to stop it.

She will have to call on the power of the Sailor Senshi.

The Sailor Senshi, which exist only in the oldest and vaguest of tales: little is known about these 9 mysterious beings. It is said that they are super powerful auras, incarnated into girls of noble heritage. Still others believe that their mystic powers can be bought at the bazaar for $29.99, but the most common tale is that these Senshi were once the normal protectors of the galaxy, before a terrible battle destroyed them all, and sealed their powers away.

Only Queen Serenity, the oldest among her people, remembers the true nature of these long-ago beings. Named for the peace she would one day deliver to the solar system, she herself was the Sailor Senshi of the Earth, the only survivor of the terrible battle. Being the only survivor, she was shunned by the people that mourned the loss of her comrades, and, distraught, she sealed away her Earthly senshi powers, never to be resurrected, and fled to the nearby moon.

The spirits of her dead friends live on in their respective planets, their powers able to be used and called upon by those destined to fill the roles of senshi- Queen Serenity knows it will take time and training to mold them into warriors, and she feels the days counting down until the system's destruction. She must move quickly if she is to retain the peace she desires.

She looks down at her beloved 6 year-old daughter, Usagi, and smiles sadly. "If only we could keep our peace forever… then I would not have to dread the day when you must go into battle." Kissing Usagi on the head, she looks up at the sky, blinking back tears.

"Please let there be a way for me to keep them safe…"

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_10 years later…._

The cool, refreshing drops soothed her heated skin. Her blood still boiled with a mild annoyance, but relief, now, overtook her senses for the most part as she scrubbed furiously at her forehead and arms.

"Haruka!"

The tall blonde's head snapped up at the calling of her name and she dropped the bar of soap in the sink. She raised an eyebrow at the man's reflection in the mirror and reached for a towel to wipe the drops of water that trickled down her cheeks.

"Are you going to celebrate with us or not?"

Haruka pulled the towel away and stood up straight, to her full height. She half-smiled at the man's reflection and vainly tried to fix her tousled hair.

"A shower would do me more good, but I suppose it will have to do," she mumbled as her stubborn bangs fell down into her eyes.

The man smiled. "Managed to get all the blood off?"

Haruka shrugged. "From the visible parts."

"I see." He shook his head in amusement. "Well then. Come. The men are quite annoyed that their leader is not present for all their celebrating."

Haruka chuckled. "I suppose none of them will tell _me_ this, eh?"

The man put his arm around Haruka's shoulder in a friendly manner as they walked. "Well… you're not all that approachable, especially by those who've seen you fight."

A few minutes late, they arrived at the dining hall- a grand room containing a long rectangular table made from a sturdy, solid wood similar to oak, with chairs bearing fancy designs in the arm and backrests. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting bright light over the room which sparkled and accentuated the gold trimming and decor.

The table itself was set for a feast and was covered with every food imaginable, from small roasted game to an assortment of fruity pies and custards. Gathered around the table, seated comfortably and clinking glasses with one another, were the top 25 soldiers in the Uranian military, also known as the Jou, all who had sworn their allegiance to Haruka's father before he and her mother were killed in an assassination. Upon seeing their faces once again, Haruka was reminded of their extreme loyalty, for, after they found out that Lord Uranus had been murdered, they had sought their own justice and had slain the alleged, but obvious, murderer. None could be proven to have been the actual deliverer of the justice, but Haruka knew that they had done it- and she was glad for it. It saved her the trouble of having to do it herself.

The pressure of running her kingdom, the highest and most powerful of the kingdoms on Uranus (which left her indirectly controlling the entire planet), had not been easy on one so young. It had seemed like only a few months ago her parents had been slain, although they'd been dead for more than a year. She'd had to mature rapidly, more so than any other 17 year-old, and now that she was almost an adult, she felt her childhood slipping away like sand falling through her fingers. Sometimes she felt as though she were once again a child, crying alone in the dark, wishing only for her mother's comforting embrace and soothing words, or her father's loving smile and support of everything she chose for her life.

But as a leader to her people, she could never show that side.

No, it had certainly not been an easy task. But Haruka was by no means a quitter, and much more stubborn than her father had been.

Perhaps the only thing that made the kingdom easier to run was Kayle, Haruka's personal right-hand man. He had worked under her father and knew everything about running things at home- controlling the military, handling the press, and especially keeping tabs on the financial and business aspects. On the other hand was Tachi, her third-in-command. He had not had as much experience as Kayle, but knew the business almost as good. He handled things on a more planetary level such as defense, communications, and interplanetary relationships.

With a planet to run, Haruka did not have time for social interactions outside of her crew, which left her spending most of her time building relationships with her Jou.

Although more than twice her age, Kayle was her best friend and had been the same to her father. He had seen her born, babysat, taught her to spar among numerous other skills that she had excelled in, and, being alone in his solitary service with no children of his own, treated her as if she were his own daughter. Now, after winning her first victory in battle, he was more proud of her than he could ever express.

As they entered the room and the Jou respectfully rose to their feet and bowed, Kayle was awed and amazed at the power this 17 year-old held over these men and himself. He was an intimidating man in his own right, and stood at 6'2" with a muscular, brawny body, and light brown hair that was graying on the sides, but even he did not hold the kind of respect that Haruka got. She was truly destined for this role, he thought, and praise the gods for him being able to witness it!

Haruka smiled as one by one, the Jou unsheathed their swords at her in ceremony. She returned their actions as best she could, still a little awkward at being so revered.

"Ah, Tenoh, if you could only see your daughter now," Kayle thought, smiling as the swords were replaced in their sheaths and he listened to Haruka's short speech of gratefulness. He followed Haruka to their seats at the table and sat down beside her, and they said a quick prayer and began loading up with food. It wasn't long until the hall echoed with hearty laughter and merry conversation.

Haruka glanced over at Kayle, who sat on her right, watching as he piled his plate up with Uranian squash.

"What?" he asked curiously, looking at her suspiciously. She smiled and shook her head, resting her chin on her hand thoughtfully.

"Nothing," she replied.

Kayle grinned and cleared his throat loudly, trying to gain the attention of the dining hall.

Haruka gave him a look and shook her head. "Kayle, what are you--"

Kayle stood up, raising his glass in the air. "I propose a toast!" he said loudly, and Haruka sank slightly into her chair, staring down at the table. "To Haruka!"

"TO HARUKA!" the hall echoed.

"Her brave leadership is unmatched by anyone in this galaxy. We are all in your debt," Kayle continued, then lifted his glass as if to say he was done, and raised it to his lips.

Haruka tilted her head and lifted her own glass, standing up as Kayle returned to his seat. Her strong voice carried across the room so every man heard her.

"My parents have been dead for more than a year," she started slowly. She paused, considerate. "Father used to tell me that, 'the greatest strength and the greatest weakness of a king is his people- his greatest duty, to his people," the Jou began to chant the last line with her, "and his greatest sacrifice, for his people.' I know that's true, and I was very honored to serve with you today. I hope you will continue to serve with me. To the people!" And with that, she raised her glass and took a big drink to the cheers and screams of her men.

"Well done," Kayle said with a twinkle in his eye as she returned to her seat. "Your father would be proud."

Haruka smiled, the feeling of utter embarrassment and lameness that had filled her moments before disappearing at the support of her crew. She looked over Kayle's shoulder and noticed an urgent-seeming Tachi approaching them.

She raised an eyebrow in question and he indicated a letter in his hand. Even from the distance Haruka noticed the seal of silver.

It was from the Moon Kingdom.

"They want you to be there by tomorrow evening," Tachi explained.

"Tomorrow eve-- why, I'd have to leave today!" Haruka fumed.

"You'd have to leave right now," Tachi corrected quietly.

Haruka paced back and forth, her teeth clenched, her hands balled into fists. "Of all the…" she trailed off, her eyes darting wildly around the room, trying desperately to think of an escape.

"Can't I just send them a 'no, thank you' card?"

"I'm afraid your _presence_ is required, Haruka."

"What about--"

"Haruka, listen," Kayle interrupted. "Why don't you just fly out there? It won't hurt to see, will it? You can just fly out there for a day or two, consider the queen's request, make a decision, and then let us know."

"Kayle, I've _made_ my decision," Haruka said pointedly. "There's no way I'm leaving Uranus in this state! We just had a civil war with a side I'm not even sure is civil. Who knows where they came from, or what they are? There could be more--"

"And if there are, you're only a day away," Kayle reassured. There's nothing that we can't handle- after all, I did work for your father for 20 years." Kayle winked.

Haruka sighed. "The point is, why can't they just accept my apologies? I don't want to be a Sailor Senshi, and to fly out there to tell them so is kind of a waste of my time--"

"--what could it hurt to consider it, eh?" Kayle reasoned.

"I don't think you're listening, Kayle!" Haruka said suddenly, grabbing his collar firmly in her fist. "Have you SEEN the skirts they wear?!"

Kayle laughed nervously and flushed a slight pink. "Well… erm… there are worse things…."

Haruka sighed irritably.

"Besides," Tachi finally said, holding up the letter and pointing to a specifically important part, "As part of the Alliance, you will gain full protection from the other planets in the Alliance as well."

"Meaning?"

"Well, if we DO need extra troops or supplies for a war, we can summon back-up from a nearby planet to help us."

"Haruka, this is a great opportunity," Kayle said seriously, looking into her fierce teal eyes. "I know you don't like the idea of being signed into a contract like this, but think about what's best for Uranus." He put his hand on her shoulder. "I know you'll do the right thing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to summon attendants to pack your things." He winked.

Haruka stood in stunned silence, fuming.

How could life have been so good and then turn so horribly bad within the span of a few hours?

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Aaaand that's it! You survived! (or didn't survive...) :)


	2. Settling In

Wow! Are you still reading? That's amazing.

Here goes the next installment of this terrible story. Miraculously, I won't talk for an hour like last time. :O!

And as usual, Sailor Moon doesn't belong to me. :(

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"'I know you'll do the right thing,' yeah, thanks, Kayle," Haruka muttered to herself as she strolled down a corridor to the flight deck. Kayle and Tachi were waiting for her, as well as a number of her closest Jou.

"Our bags are already on the transport," Tachi was saying as she greeted them.

Haruka looked surprised. "You're coming, too, Tachi?"

"Of course. I _am_ your representative, remember?"

Haruka nodded. "Kayle, this isn't final- I have no intention of joining the Silver Alliance."

Kayle moved his head slowly. "I understand. You'll make that decision when the time is right- for now, just check this deal out- it could work to our advantage." He straightened up for a moment, then grabbed Haruka's left arm.

Haruka returned the gesture, grabbing Kayle's left arm. "Keep things topside while I'm gone, Kayle. I'm counting on you."

"Aye, M'lord." Kayle smiled. 'Although leadership suits you, I don't want to see you stuck in this role,' he thought. 'I know you're the destined one, and I pray you're not too stubborn to accept it.'

Their right hands met between them and Haruka squeezed Kayle's gently, feeling hers squeezed in response. She looked at the captain of her army. "Keep an eye on him," she winked.

"Yes, M'lord."

They stood up straight again, their arms dropping to their sides, and nodded at each other.

"Safe passage, Haruka…"

"Safe passage…"

The flight to the moon was, in a word, boring. Haruka spent the majority of her waking moments during the 20 hour flight pacing up and down the small corridor leading to her quarters and pondering how she might have escaped the horrible ordeal. Finally defeated, and with no solutions that Kayle would have approved, she slumped down onto her small, cramped bed and rested, falling asleep only after she wracked her brain for answers one last time.

She woke up about 10 hours later after a particularly jarring blow to her head. Tachi had poked his head in and informed her that they were traveling through the Milky Way, and were hitting some rocky space. She gazed out of the cylindrical window in her tiny holding room and saw one of Jupiter's moons, she couldn't remember which- there were so many, and they hadn't held any unique interest for her in school. She recalled the last time she'd seen Jupiter- it was a trip with her parents when they were touring the galaxy. Her mother had decided it would be a good experience for her to have seen the places her planet was sharing the solar system with, and took her traveling. She smiled wistfully at the memory so imprinted in her mind and slumped back down to try and get some sleep.

She awoke one other time for a bathroom break, and it seemed like only minutes later Tachi was rousing her out of bed, telling her to be prepared as the transport settled itself roughly on the ground.

She rose quickly, already dressed, and gazed at her reflection in the tiny mirror. '_Cool… calm_,' she told herself. Determined teal eyes stared back at her, and she felt better.

A crowd was gathered at her landing sight, and as she stepped from the transport, she noticed a peculiar group of girls, about two or three years younger than her, watching her intently. She received a strange vibe from them, and realized that they must be the other senshi.

Her heart sank. Secretly she had hoped that the senshi were a force to be reckoned with- fierce female warriors with unlimited powers. But 15 year-old girls getting starry-eyed about Tachi?

She frowned as she saw him. He was nearly swaggering down the steps leading from the transport, giving a jaunty wave and grinning like mad.

She grabbed his arm. "Don't you think they're a little young for you?" She looked pointedly at him, raising an eyebrow.

"They're just admiring, Haruka. What's wrong with being an idol?"

She sighed and continued behind him, finally reaching the ground. She felt an absence of the powers she freely used, being away from her home planet. This alarmed her somewhat, for she was used to being able to call on them in an emergency. Her connection with the wind seemed far away, hard to grasp. She closed her eyes and concentrated for a quick moment, and found them- weak, but there nonetheless.

"They are present even here," came a smooth female voice from her left.

Haruka turned and saw a shadowy figure stepping out from beneath a tree. She eyed her skeptically. "Have we met?"

"I am Meioh Setsuna," she said, placing a hand on her chest to indicate herself. And at Haruka's suspicious look she added, "Pluto."

Haruka smiled without dropping her guard. "I thought the name sounded familiar. Tenoh Haruka, Uranus."

"Ah, the famed Tenoh," Setsuna nodded. "Have you come to join the Silver Alliance?"

"Hardly," Haruka scoffed. "I've come to decline."

"Oh? I beg you reconsider."

"What's it matter? The Queen has her protectors," Haruka moved to indicate the group of girls from before in the distance.

"Very true," Setsuna closed her eyes and nodded. "But in the coming days, it may not be enough…"

Haruka turned to answer, but Setsuna was gone, vanishing as quickly and as mysteriously as she appeared.

"That was strange…"

"Haruka! There you are," Tachi said as he reached her, placing a friendly hand on her shoulder. "Come on, the Queen is approaching."

"Of course."

In the distance, Haruka noticed the crowd starting to thin as a figure made it's way through the mass of people. Finally, she was there before her, dressed in a shimmering, ankle-length gown, her silver hair shining and her very presence insinuating remarkable power and commanding respect.

"Ruler Tenoh," The Queen greeted.

"Queen Serenity,"Haruka nodded formally.

"It's so lovely to see you again. Why, the last time you were here you must have been--"

"Eight, your highness."

"Why, yes, I believe you were," the Queen said carefully. "I do hope you will reconsider your decision after tomorrow evening's banquet."

"Your pardon, your majesty, but--"

"I will have two of my attendants escort you to your chambers. Please, enjoy your stay here." The Queen gestured to her two attendants and smiled politely at Haruka and Tachi, then, looking past them, she gave a small wave to the group of younger senshi.

Haruka clenched her teeth and Tachi touched her arm. "It's just a few days, Haruka, you can handle it."

"She dismissed me, Tachi."

"Well, you were rather rude to her…"

Haruka gave him a stare and sighed. "I don't know about you, but I feel drained. Let's get this over with, ne?" She winked.

"If you say so."

Queen Serenity watched Haruka's back as she and Tachi made their way to the Palace. 'I hope you reconsider for all our sakes…'

"Your highness."

The queen turned at the sound of Setsuna's voice addressing her, smiling at the guardian of time. Setsuna moved to stand next to the queen, her eyes following the queen's gaze. "Do not worry. I believe Haruka will join the Alliance."

The Queen chuckled. "You _believe_, or you _know_?"

Setsuna grinned. "I _believe_ things will work out favorably in that regard."

The queen nodded. "I _believe_ I would have to agree with you. Still, I can't help worrying..."

Tachi whistled in awe as the attendants carried the luggage into the room and set it down carefully. "Wow, Haruka, have you ever seen such a room?"

Haruka walked briskly inside and glanced around. "Tachi, we live in a palace, too, remember?"

"I know, I know, but the architecture is exquisite, and it even has traces of Mercurian design."

Haruka shook her head. "Tachi, only you would notice that."

He laughed. "I suppose you're right. Well, if we're through, I'm gonna have a look at my room- it's down the hall… somewhere."

"I'll come with you, then. I have to know where to send my anger to," she joked, listening to his returning grumble.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

After leaving Haruka's room and heading down a few halls and around a few corners, they found Tachi's room, which was tucked away behind a large open room of sorts, similar to a lobby. Guards were posted at all entrances, and Haruka halted her somewhat teasing dialogue with Tachi when she caught a sharp flash of something. Haruka could feel a tingling up the base of her spine that tickled the hairs on the back of her neck and made her shiver slightly. She glanced across the room inconspicuously and was nearly struck dumb with awe.

It was almost as if she had seen her before, the vision of perfection she was beholding. It was picturesque- this person, this girl, was the embodiment of beauty and all it stood for. Silky aqua hair spilled down the girl's slightly bare shoulders and framed her porcelain face, her slender body curving in at the waist and then out into wide hips and long, shapely legs. Haruka could barely contain a gasp at her sight and she had to remind herself not to stare as the girl's eyes shyly glanced at her, a bemused smile playing her shiny, pinkish lips. Even at their distance, Haruka could see the deepness of the girl's ocean blue eyes; was she looking--

Turn away! Haruka did so quickly, and instead focused all her attention on Tachi, who noticed her strange behavior.

"Haruka, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"That girl…" Haruka swallowed, her gaze never leaving Tachi's. "Who is she?"

Tachi glanced indifferently at the girl in question, shrugging. "Oh, her. She's the Princess Kaioh, of Neptune." Suddenly noticing Haruka's amazed condition, he grinned deviously. "Why? Does someone have a crush?"

Haruka narrowed her eyes. "Someone is going to BE crushed if they don't shut up."

Tachi chuckled lightly. "Fine, be that way." He glanced over at the princess again. "But she is rather pretty…"

Haruka once again gazed over at the stunning girl, who was smiling and laughing with the guard she had been talking to. She could catch little bits and pieces of their conversation, and occasionally hear the girl's voice clearly. She was asking directions to her quarters, and the guard was pointing in the direction Haruka had just come.

Haruka felt her heartbeat quicken at the thought of being near this girl, but of course, all the senshi quarters would be in the same wing…

"Kaioh…" she said slowly, savoring the way it sounded to her ears.

Tachi rolled his eyes and shoved Haruka's shoulder. "If you're done drooling, Haruka, would you mind finishing what we came over here to do?"

Haruka glared at Tachi before shoving him back, and, reluctantly, following him inside.

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And that's it for this chapter. Thank God, right? ;)

Just to clarify, Haruka is called "ruler" because she is, obviously, ruling her planet since her 'rents are dead. Michiru and company get the princess title cuz they are princesses still. Just in case there was some confusion, although I'm sure everyone got it. Right? RIGHT??! ;D See ya next time! (or not, if you decided to jump off the bandwagon...)


	3. The Ceremony

We're back! Thanks for all the great reviews. Your words of encouragement have brought about this next chapter of my typical Silver Millenium story, haha.

And Sailor Moon still doesn't belong to me. But maybe someday... :X

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"Hm…"

It was the following day, and Haruka gazed at her reflection in the full-length mirror, scrutinizing her every detail. She wasn't usually so vain about her appearance, but she was attending the queen's banquet, held in honor of the prospective senshi and to demonstrate the powers and progress of the current. As little as Haruka cared about the purpose of the banquet, she did care about her appearance there. The entire royalty of the galaxy would be present to witness the renewed tradition, and as the commander of Uranus, Haruka had to represent her own planet in a positive way, making proper attire a must.

She ran a comb through her hair, frowning in dissatisfaction at her cowlick which refused to be at all manageable. She finally shrugged and decided that it still looked decent, and double-checked her appearance. Satisfied, she left her room and walked down the hall to meet Tachi in the greeting room, and together they made their way to the banquet hall.

The banquet hall was a large rectangular room, set like an auditorium but with a huge serving table on either end that contained a small buffet of finger foods, fruit and cheese platters, fondue, and refreshments. In the center of the room, against the back wall, was a large stage, with rows of anchored, plush chairs set before long dining tables serving as the audience. The tables were made of thick, solid, white glass, and adorned with a glittering silver tablecloth, a place set before each chair. Upon noticing the snack foods, Haruka's stomach made a disgruntled growl, and Tachi stared at her.

"Hungry?"

"I guess so," she laughed.

They walked over to the end table, where Haruka noticed they weren't the only ones who decided to check out the buffet- the group of girls from the previous day were gathered around, one girl in particular making the most of the free food.

"Usagi, you act like you've never eaten!" Scolded a black-haired girl, placing her hand on her forehead and using her fingertips to rub her temple. The black-haired girl watched as a blonde pig-tailed girl went from tray to tray, sampling nearly everything.

"But it's all just so good!"

The other girls sighed.

"Hey, pretty girls, do you mind if I get by?" Haruka asked as she moved in front of them.

Blushes spread across four faces, the blonde pig-tailed girl still too immersed in the fondue to notice.

"Y..yes!" They answered as one, nearly falling over each other in their haste to move.

Haruka raised an eyebrow. "Is it good for her to be eating like that?" she asked, indicating the blonde.

"Well, she does it all the time, so I don't think we should be worried," a short-blue-haired girl reasoned logically.

"Yeah, she's sure got an appetite!" A pony-tailed brunette spoke up, placing her hand on the back of her head and laughing slightly.

"That's our Usagi- but you know what they say! All's well that eats well!" Another blonde, this one with a bow in her hair, said with a grin.

The other girls sighed again.

"You are the Sailor Senshi, ne?" Haruka asked.

The other girls nodded, still blushing slightly.

"I guess I will be seeing you, then."

"Yes!"

She smirked, secretly pleased at the effect she had on them. "Ja."

Haruka slipped into the shadows as she noticed that the banquet hall was becoming rather occupied, with more and more people entering and milling around. Tachi had gone to mingle with the crowd, which left Haruka to fend for herself. She tried to identify other possible Senshi candidates, knowing that the five younger girls must be the already-initiated Sailor Senshi of the innermost planets and Jupiter, which left her to find the other three from her side of the Milky Way. She knew one of them to be Meioh Setsuna, the mysterious woman she had met previously, and another to be Kaioh- she didn't know her first name. But what of Saturn?

She tried to think, and couldn't remember anyone on Saturn being born in the same timeframe as her… which meant… there was no candidate for Sailor Saturn?

Scanning the crowd, Haruka saw the tall, shadowy figure of Pluto, and nodded briefly at her. Setsuna noticed her searching gaze and indicated a young girl nearby. She had chin-length, dark, purple hair, pale skin, deep, purple eyes, and looked to be about 11 years old. Without Tachi, she could not identify people of importance which left Haruka wondering who she was, having never seen her before in her life.

But mostly she wondered where Kaioh was. Haruka was very interested in the gorgeous girl and was anxious to see her appearance at the banquet.

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen…"

Haruka looked over at the stage where a sharply dressed man in a black tuxedo was speaking, and all the laughter and polite conversation in the room turned into a hushed silence.

"If everyone would please have a seat, the ceremony will begin shortly."

Swiftly, Haruka turned back to where Setsuna had been, but again, the mystifying woman was nowhere to be found. She did notice the young purple-haired girl skip over to a tall blonde man in a white tuxedo and large round glasses, who smiled at her and ruffled her hair.

Haruka smiled slightly. So. This was her father. She felt a twinge of sadness thinking of her own father, but shrugged it off when she felt eyes on her.

She saw it out of the corner of her left eye- a flash of aqua curls and shimmering ocean blue. She glanced in the direction and found the lovely goddess to be standing with a man, his hair light and graying. They seemed to be immersed in conversation, and although her mouth was moving with words, her eyes never left Haruka's. She was holding a glass of wine delicately in her hand, and she sipped sparingly from it as her and her company talked lightly.

A slight smile graced her lips and she nodded in Haruka's direction, causing the tall blonde to swallow very hard and return a slow nod. Finally, the girl turned away and followed the man to their seats, and Haruka, released from the spell she'd been under, gathered her bearings and scanned the waning crowd for Tachi.

"BOO!"

Haruka turned and gave Tachi an irritated look, and Tachi laughed and grabbed her arm. "Come on, our seats are over there."

"At least you're good for something."

"Shut up."

If it hadn't have been for the fact that she was seated in the front row, Haruka probably would have fallen asleep. There were many speakers from all over the galaxy giving their thank-yous for the protection of the Silver Millennium and the awarding of insignificant titles to those who contributed to the efforts. A lot of political jabber that Haruka couldn't care less about.

The only thing that kept her interest was the gossip around her. She could hear a group of people from behind her talking in hushed tones about several of the speakers, and even mentioning a few things about the senshi.

"I heard that the Princess Tsukino is secretly meeting a young gentleman from the Earth!"

"Oh, I think I heard that too… but wasn't he the Prince? …Chiba, his name was…"

"Well, girls, I've got even better news than that- I heard that the fated senshi of Saturn is no more than an 11 year-old girl!"

Haruka's ears pricked up at the sound of that as the other gossipers let out a slight gasp. So the 11 year-old that Setsuna had gestured to was actually the future Saturn! Haruka couldn't believe it.

"The poor girl!"

"Mm-hm, and the way I heard it, it sounds like Tomoe doesn't want her to have anything to do with the Sailor Senshi!"

"Who would, at that age…? My goodness, that's just terrible… the poor thing…"

"Well ladies, if I may interject," a clear voice belonging to a gentlemen seated beside them said, "There's fresh news about the Princess Kaioh."

"Really? I hadn't even heard anything about the girl!"

"But she seems like such a nice young lady…"

"Well, sir, please, don't withhold information!"

The man lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "It is said that she's very cold, snobby, and especially full of herself…"

Haruka frowned. She did not like the way this conversation was going.

"Last week, she turned down her betrothed suitor, hand-picked by her father when she was born!" the man finished in a rush.

"Oh, my goodness!"

"The nerve!"

"Well, apparently she wasn't ready to settle down, but her father was furious- he had made a deal with the young lad's parents."

"The very idea…"

She was cut off by a loud, clear female voice.

"If I may have your attention please…" The girls quickly silenced their gossip as Queen Serenity began to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, friends and allies, I have called us all here for two very important reasons. We have all, for the most part, lived out our lives during a time of peace. We do not know what it is like to experience battle and bloodshed on an everyday basis. And while some of us have experienced wars on our home planets, it is not the large-scale war that threatens our solar system, and our very existence, even now."

At this, murmurs went up from the crowd and people began to question each other. Haruka listened intently. The queen paused before continuing on. "I have worked, mainly in secret, for the past few years in building up our once-great Alliance. Perhaps there is no one here who remembers the times long-passed, but I do. I remember the Silver Alliance that bound our system together, in peace, and helped us to stand against every enemy who tried to destroy it.

Lately I, and others sensitive to these perceptions, have felt a great enemy approaching again. That is the reason why I have worked towards rebuilding our alliance- the strongest and most important part being the Sailor Senshi. I have done it in secret to keep wide-spread panic from developing among the planets, and I hope that people will still have nothing to fear- at least, not for a long while. But the enemy WILL COME, and I must have everyone's participation in order to defeat it."

She looked straight at Haruka as she said the last sentence, and Haruka felt a tingle go up her spine when she realized she was talking about her.

"It will not be easy. But we all, as members of this system, have a choice to make- an important one. We can choose to live our lives as best we can- not in fear, but in hope. Let those who know about what's coming handle the preparations. That being said, there are others here who have a bigger choice to make- will they help?"

There was a pause, and silence ensued.

The Queen smiled politely. "And now, let's turn our attention towards something a bit more promising. It is with greatest pride and honor that I introduce the Sailor Senshi Team- they have worked long and hard, and now it is time they are rewarded." She looked slightly off stage. "Whenever you're ready, girls."

The Queen stepped back and Haruka watched as the five girls she had met lined up on the stage; they seemed different somehow, but Haruka couldn't quite put her thumb on it.

All of them looking quite determined, the five girls lifted their arms into the air, each holding a small stick of a different color in their hands. Haruka was a little startled as each of them shouted out a transformation phrase. Nearly blinding, colored flashes of light encircled each of them as they transformed into their Senshi counterparts.

Haruka could almost feel the energy and power radiating from them as they completed their transformations and stood on stage, somehow completely different: older, stronger, more mature.

Queen Serenity spoke each of their names and planets in introduction as one by one they stepped forward, bowed, and returned to their place in line to the sound of much clapping. After four of the Inner Senshi had been introduced, the Queen paused.

"And last, but certainly not least… my daughter, Usagi, the Senshi of the Moon…" The blonde pig-tailed girl stepped forward and Queen Serenity continued, "She is destined to lead them all to victory."

On that note, the crowd erupted with cheers and clapping, and the Senshi once again bowed before filing their way off stage.

"Now we've come to the final part of our ceremony," Queen Serenity said softly and distantly, and the room quieted down again. Haruka's stomach clenched nervously.

"I have only introduced the Senshi of the innermost planets in our system- leaving out the four outer, and, as Senshi, most powerful. These four have not had the offer to join our alliance until now. Will they please rise and step forward, so that I may ask each of them individually?"

Tachi nudged Haruka's ribcage with his elbow. "That's you!"

"No shit!" Haruka growled, annoyed.

"Well get up, stupid!"

Haruka rose from her seat, standing out from the crowd and feeling awkwardly tall. She felt a million eyes staring at her as she made her way towards the edge of the stage.

On her left was Setsuna, who smiled briefly at her, with the little girl on her left, and Kaioh on the other end.

"I ask that each of you do not answer- but take a day to consider all the possible reasons behind your answer."

Then, one by one, she moved in front of each of them.

"Kaioh Michiru, Princess of Neptune, I ask of you, please-protect the Silver Alliance and take up your duty as a Sailor Senshi."

"Tomoe Hotaru, Princess of Saturn, though you are young, I ask of you, please- protect the Silver Alliance and take up your duty as a Sailor Senshi."

Then, the Queen was in front of Setsuna, and Haruka could see the sadness in her eyes.

"Meioh Setsuna, Sole Survivor of Pluto, though you have already fulfilled your duty to the Silver Alliance, I ask you as a friend- please, continue to protect the Silver Alliance by remaining a Sailor Senshi."

Setsuna smiled, her eyes welling with tears and she nodded slightly. Haruka was a little confused, but she shrugged it off as she realized what was coming.

Finally, the Queen was before her, her deep blue eyes pleading and boring into hers as she said,

"Tenoh Haruka, Ruler of Uranus, I ask especially of you, please- protect the Silver Alliance and take up your duty as a Sailor Senshi."

Haruka showed no emotion as the Queen finished up the ending to her speech.

Especially of you…

What did it mean?

"What did it mean?" Tachi was saying as the crowd was splitting up to retire for the evening.

"I don't know," Haruka shook her head. "It was weird to me, too."

"Well, if you don't mind, Haruka, I have some mingling to do before the crowd disperses. Mind waiting up?"

"Nah, Tachi, you can find your way back. Besides, I have some thinking to do," Haruka said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Enjoy yourself, I'm not into mingling tonight."

"Okay, well, then I'll catch up with you tomorrow."

"Ja…"

Haruka trudged slowly down the hall, lost in thought and contemplating the queen's words. She still couldn't decipher the queen's hidden meaning. She turned the question over and over in her mind, and as she neared her quarters, was stirred from her contemplations by the sense that someone was watching her nearby. She slowed her pace a little as she caught a familiar scent of perfume and a soft, melodic voice broke the eerie silence.

"Ara, the famed Tenoh."

Haruka stiffened as she recognized the silky voice. It was Michiru. Her stomach all of a sudden felt knotted and her heartbeat accelerated at an alarming rate.

She turned, half smiling, trying to sound calm. "It seems I've been hearing that a lot these days." She swallowed as Michiru moved closer, until she was but an arm's length away, her deep blue eyes shining in the dim light of the hallway, and, as Michiru came into view, Haruka had to hold in her gasp of pleasure. It was the first time she'd seen the princess up close, much less talked to her directly, and she felt compelled to pull the girl into her arms and kiss her.

She swallowed again as they regarded each other, and she studied Michiru's every detail- her pale skin was unscarred and perfectly smooth, her shiny lips pink and full, her wavy aqua-hair cascading over her bare shoulders, the light blue fabric of her dress hugging her supple body in just the right places that made Haruka's insides melt. Haruka noticed that Michiru's eyes were regarding her with barely contained interest, and, she noticed (hoped) lust? She nearly shivered as Michiru's inviting mouth formed words and her silky voice carried to her ears.

"A powerful, skilled soldier who's faster than the wind…"

Haruka let the words blow past her, but inside she was in shock. How did this girl know so much about her? But she could sense the game Michiru was playing, and despite her questions, she continued the flirty banter. She closed her eyes briefly, smiling. "A fan?" she asked. "It appears you know a lot about me."

Michiru tilted her head slightly, a peculiar expression gracing her delicate features. "Do I? There is much talk of your fame on my home world, Tenoh," she said formally, though smiling warmly, as if the formality were misplaced and she knew Haruka like a long-lost friend. "You are a hero… and many girls have fallen madly in love with you."

Haruka, slightly taken aback, but determined not to show it, hid her surprise with a smirk. "It would seem so… I wonder," she started slowly, wanting to catch Michiru off guard, "Are you one of them?"

Michiru laughed delightedly, Haruka savoring the musical sound. "Perhaps… shall we see?"

At that comment, Haruka raised an eyebrow, and Michiru gave her a mischievous smile.

"Kaioh!"

They both turned at the sound of an older man calling out to them. He was tall, skinny, and dressed in a tuxedo. His hair was shades of silver and gray, and he had a thick mustache. Michiru's lips turned up into a smile as the man came striding towards them.

"Kaioh," he said, a little short of breath, bending over slightly to brace himself on his knee. "Good heavens, where have you been? We've been looking all over for you! I've been worried sick, who knows what could've happened? These are troubled times, and I was just short of calling your father and--"

Michiru smiled as the man talked, hiding her slight embarrassment, her hair masking the slight blush that had developed. "Geole, I'm quite fine," she interrupted. She looked over at Haruka and nodded. "Tenoh has been escorting me."

Haruka stood in silence, but gave a slight nod.

Geole raised an eyebrow. "I… see."

"Tenoh, this is Geole. My…" she smiled, flashing white teeth as she thought of how to describe him, "mentor."

Haruka nodded again, bowing. "A pleasure to meet you, sir."

Geole bowed as well. "And to you, Tenoh. My thanks for accompanying Miss Kaioh down these dark halls."

"They are quite guarded, sir," Haruka assured him.

Geole raised an eyebrow again, then shook his head as if to clear it, insisting, "In the Neptunian Palace there is always a guard within sight."

Haruka gave Michiru a look of remorse.

No privacy?

"However, I feel a lot better knowing someone as decorated as you is bunked close by. These are troubled times, you know…" He trailed. Michiru rolled her eyes and Haruka cast her a questioning look.

Michiru once again smiled. "We share adjoining quarters, or didn't you know, Tenoh?" she teased.

Haruka gazed into Michiru's blue eyes deviously. "No," she said, "but I'm glad I will be close by, in case my _assistance_ is needed." She took Michiru's hand gallantly and kissed it, making the other's heart flutter. "M'lady, since you are once again reunited with your mentor, and within sight of your quarters, I bid you good night."

Michiru swallowed quickly and gave a small curtsy. "Tenoh," she addressed, trying to keep her heart from pounding as Haruka's hand gently released her own and the blonde turned to her door and disappeared into her room.

"Kaioh, I do believe you are attracted to her."

Michiru blushed. "Geole!"

He chuckled. "Come, come, did you honestly think I wouldn't notice the way you stare at her?"

Michiru bowed her head. "Don't tell my father… Geole, please…"

"Of course not, my dear. Now, off to bed with you. You have a busy day tomorrow, after all."

Michiru hugged the old man, and he placed an arm around her in affection. "Thank you, Geole…"

"Think nothing of it…"

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Yay! You made it through another chapter! As you may have noticed, I made all of the inners very stereotypical, and a lot of this story is parallelled (omfg why can't I spell that word :B TOO MANY LLLLLs) off of the anime. Always, your dear words of compassion are cherished in the very depths of my heart. Or something. See ya next time!


	4. Reconsidering

And another chapter for the masses. They just get longer and longer, I guess. Is that a bad thing?

I'm still hoping to wake up with the rights to Sailor Moon in my pocket. When that happens, I'll let you guys know. Until then, though, I'm just a poor college student writing fanfiction. :P

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Once in the privacy of her bedroom, dressed in a tee shirt and boxers, Haruka gazed into her bathroom mirror, running a hand through her slightly tousled and untamable hair. Dark teal eyes stared back at her, and she, not for the first time, scrutinized her reflection.

Was she attractive?

It was true that many men and women found her appealing, and had offered their hands to her on numerous occasions- but she'd had no time for any of that.

Now, though, Haruka was starting to feel the longing for companionship- especially with such a heavy decision weighing before her. And especially, she admitted, with the appearance of the lovely Kaioh. At least if she accepted Senshi duties she would be able to see Michiru more- then again, if neither of them accepted, they wouldn't have to worry and could lead normal lives suited to those of royalty. The idea sounded appealing, but for some reason, Haruka couldn't see Michiru doing any such thing as that. No, a normal life was much too plain for Michiru, and herself. She'd much rather be where the action was, and for some reason, she knew Michiru would, too.

She half-smiled and stepped out into her room, feeling the plush navy carpeting beneath her bare feet. She gazed over to the balcony- maybe the cool night breeze would clear her head. She swung open the huge, decorated glass doors that lead outside and moved through them, smiling as she was greeted with a gust of wind. She felt immediately better, if only because of the cool wind caressing her face. She stood next to the balcony rail, resting her arms on it and leaning forward, gazing down at the bay below. The air smelled of salt carried up from the slightly choppy waves, and in her mind she threw the pros and cons back and forth- to be, or not to be? That was the question, and the more Haruka thought about it, the more she realized she didn't want to be involved.

There were plenty of young girls who would die to be a Sailor Senshi- why should she have to do it? She had enough responsibility already! Who would run Uranus if she decided to become a Senshi? And what exactly would be the benefit of her doing so, anyways? There was no promise that the evil Queen Serenity talked about would come, and if they did, just try and let them conquer her planet! She and her Jou would put a stop to that in a heartbeat!

She smiled slightly. Then, almost against her will, she thought of staying. A part of her, deep down, wanted to, and felt like it was the only thing she could do. While there was no promise that the evil the Queen spoke of was ever coming to the Silver Millenium, Haruka knew in the core of her being that it would. It was almost like an instinct down in her gut that warned her. Her planet would gain protection: she might even learn a thing or to. But still… her freedom? Was it worth being a legendary Sailor Senshi?

She sighed heavily, bowing her head, hearing Kayle's voice echoing in her mind.

"Have you decided?"

Haruka lifted her head up slightly, taken a little by surprise at the sound of Michiru's voice. She glanced back over her shoulder for a moment before gazing back out into the night. "My decision was made before I journeyed here," she retorted, trying to make clear that she had no intention of staying. The words came out much sharper than she had intended and she found herself wishing she could call them back to her. She sighed again.

"And?" Michiru asked as she moved to stand beside Haruka, resting her arms lightly on the balcony railing. She did not seem fazed. Haruka felt her heartbeat quicken at the proximity of Michiru; she just had that effect on her.

"If I was to choose between joining the Sailor Senshi and death, I think death would be kinder."

"I see," Michiru chuckled slightly.

Haruka bowed her head once again. "And yet, I find myself reconsidering."

"Why is that?"

Haruka looked up, her deep teal eyes finding Michiru's ocean blue ones. She smiled slightly. "Lots of reasons, I suppose." She paused for a moment. "Kaioh," she started.

"Please, call me Michiru."

Haruka, hiding her surprise with a smile, said, "Okay, then. Michiru."

"Hm?"

"Have you decided?"

Michiru closed her eyes briefly. "Yes."

"And?"

"My decision was made before I journeyed here," she teased with a smile that made Haruka's stomach knot up. Turning suddenly serious, her eyes took a faraway look, and she continued, "It is my destiny."

"Destiny?" Haruka repeated with somewhat distaste, as though the word were a huge plate of fermented soybeans. It seemed almost foreign. "How so?"

Michiru smiled again. "Intuition. A feeling I have." She clasped her hands together on the rail and looked up at Haruka. "On Neptune we believe strongly in a sense of duty. As the heir to the throne, I cannot refuse the offer, for it is my obligation as the upcoming ruler to do what is in the best interest of the people on my planet."

"And how many times did you rehearse that speech?" Haruka joked. Michiru gave her an amused look and smiled.

"Several. There's more- As a part of the solar system, it is my planet's responsibility to support the Queen… but most importantly…" she paused, her expression turning serious. "I truly believe in Queen Serenity's cause, and I will fight to uphold it."

Haruka noticed a fierce glint in Michiru's eyes as she finished, and for once, she felt the sense of duty Michiru was talking about- the obligation to her planet. It was something she had always felt, but in a different way. Her sense of duty was like a small soldier inside an army. She couldn't open up to see the bigger picture, that what she was really protecting and fighting for was not just her own planet, but her whole universe and existence. Perhaps some of the feelings Michiru felt had transferred to her, Haruka did not know. But she suddenly considered becoming a Senshi as more than just an offhanded suggestion. But…

"What of my freedom?" she whispered, gazing up at the stars, the slight breeze tousling her already disheveled hair.

"What of it?" Michiru answered quietly.

"To be bound forever by such a duty?"

"Duty to a greater cause, much greater than our separate lives, alone, could accomplish- it is something that only we can do, which is why we were chosen." She turned to look deeply into Haruka's teal eyes, and added, "I know you feel it, even now."

Haruka swore Michiru could hear her heart pounding. "What?" she asked quietly, unsure of herself for the first time in many years.

"Something tugging… almost a voice… but there are no clear words, and no sound… it's a desire that fills you up completely, a desire to protect."

"Protect? Who?" Haruka already knew the answer, and heard it confirmed with Michiru's lips.

"Serenity… It's hard to explain," Michiru looked away. "But I know that somehow, everything is centered around her." Haruka nodded uncertainly, but she couldn't doubt the truth in Michiru's words.

Michiru turned back again, her eyes so full with emotion that Haruka swallowed hard. "Haruka," she pleaded, all flirty pretenses dropped, and Haruka realized that it was the first time she had heard her name from this beautiful girl's lips, "Will you stay?"

Haruka was dumbfounded. "Stay?"

"Please… I cannot explain why, but I know that you are important to this cause- we are almost certain to fail without your support."

How could she deny that look in her eyes?

"Well… there are a lot of reasons why I shouldn't," she started carefully. "But my planet will receive protection, and perhaps I might even learn a thing or two…" Her expression turned serious. "Most importantly, I believe what Queen Serenity says is true."

"That there will be a force more devastating than this system has ever known…" Michiru whispered, as if she really had rehearsed it.

Haruka nodded. "When it comes, I want my planet to be ready. If this is the only way," Haruka grimaced as she thought of those short skirts, "then so be it."

They were silent for a moment.

Michiru smiled thoughtfully. "I'm glad you reconsidered."

"Your counsel made me reconsider, Michiru."

"So it seems." Michiru laughed lightly and tossed her hair over her shoulder with the flick of her wrist. Haruka found the gesture incredibly appealing.

They stood in comfortable silence for a few moments, enjoying each other's presence, before Michiru yawned softly, the sound still, to Haruka's ears, refined and lady-like.

"Oh, my," she laughed, embarrassed. "I guess it's pretty late."

Haruka nodded, a small smile on her face. "Mm-hm."

"Well, then, I suppose I shall see you tomorrow at the ceremony?"

"Yeah. I'll be there." Haruka rolled her eyes, and Michiru laughed.

She turned to walk back to her door, pausing halfway to turn back. "Tenoh," she started unsurely, almost shyly.

"Call me Haruka."

Michiru smiled. "Okay then."

There was a moment of silence.

"Well?" Haruka asked nervously.

Michiru shook her head. "That's all. Good night, Haruka."

"Good night, Michiru."

Haruka watched her go before returning to her own room.

'_What a night_…' She thought for a moment, and cursed herself for agreeing to become a Senshi, if only for Michiru's sake. '_I'm such an idiot_…'

The next day came much too early for Haruka, but she was up at the crack of dawn, as usual, and went for a short run around the grounds before the sun came up. By the time the horizon was on fire with the break of day, she was inside, showered, and ready to greet the Queen. She was supposed to meet in Ballroom Nora, which was a lot smaller than Ballroom Jora and a bit more private. The queen did not want The Answering ceremony done in front of many people, in case of refusals and dishonoring done because of it- it was in her belief that everyone be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their reasoning.

As Haruka entered Ballroom Nora with Tachi, she noticed the lack of people as being a good thing. The only ones present were the Inner Senshi, the Queen, the prospectives, with the exception of Setsuna, their assistants, and some other people she did not recognize.

"Tachi," Haruka started seriously.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking attentive.

"Aren't you eager to know my decision?"

"Oh," he said, somewhat disappointed. He shrugged. "I guess?"

Haruka looked irritated. "What do you mean, you 'guess'? I'm trying to spare you some shock by telling you beforehand and you're not even interested!"

"Oh… yeah, that," he said. "Kayle had already predicted you'd say yes. In fact, we've all kind of known what your answer would be."

Haruka looked even more irritated. Her eyebrow twitched for a moment before she just bit her lip and said, "Nevermind, then."

Tachi suddenly looked a bit worried. "Why? It IS yes, isn't it?" Haruka walked off. "Hey! Haruka?! Isn't it?!"

Haruka ignored him, looking around the room, as Tachi sidled up to her. "Hey, why don't you make yourself useful and tell me who some of these people are?" She asked, grabbing him by the vest and pulling him closer.

"Er, well, who do you want to know?" he replied, straightening himself back out.

"Who's that guy over there?"

"Over where?"

"Next to Saturn!"

"Oh… Tomoe? That's Soichi Tomoe, Hotaru's father."

"He doesn't look very happy."

"Well, would you be happy if your 11 year-old was drafted as a Sailor Senshi?"

Haruka paused at the idea of herself with kids, her face wrinkling with disgust at the thought. "I suppose not."

"Exactly. Tomoe is a protective father, so I hear," Tachi stated.

"Hm. Okay, who's that?"

"Haruka, you're pointing at about ten different people."

"The guy with the dark grayish-blue hair."

"Um… the King of Neptune?" he offered.

"Michiru's father," Haruka said in awe.

"Didn't know you were on a first-name basis with the Princess of Neptune," Tachi teased. Haruka frowned at him and punched his arm.

"OW! Hey!"

"Let's go meet him!"

"Ehh, Haruka," Tachi said warily, grabbing Haruka's shoulder to keep her from walking off, "I don't think that's such a good idea. He's not all that approachable, if you know what I mean."

"…so?"

"So maybe we'd better go approach somebody else. Like…" he scanned the small crowd, squinting. "Ah!" he said excitedly. "There's the Ambassador of the Alliance! Let's go talk to him."

Haruka gave Tachi a look. "Seriously?"

Tachi grinned weakly. "Sure."

"Tachi," Haruka started slowly. "I--"

"Ladies and gentlemen," the Queen started softly but clearly, her tone serious and determined. "If you will draw your attention to the center stage, please…"

Tachi almost sighed with relief. "There, you see? We have other things to do."

"Don't think you're getting out of this."

Tachi swallowed. "…Right…."

"Only a few of you were present last night at the Introduction ceremony, and only because it was necessary," the Queen started. "All of you present here are present because you play some importance on the influence of our cause." She nodded at the Ambassador, and the various parents.

Haruka was suddenly overcome with slight sadness at the thought that her parents couldn't be present, but pushed the sadness out of her mind. Now was not the time for that. She had to be strong, for them.

"Haruka," The Queen said, and Haruka thought that she had noticed that her thoughts were elsewhere, "Michiru, and Hotaru… each of you was offered a proposition, of sorts, one night previous. I have given you ample time to consider that proposition, and am ready for your answers."

Haruka did not fail to notice the absence of Setsuna, and wondered where she might be and what important matters she might be attending to, that she would miss the Answering ceremony?

"Your Majesty, I have made my decision."

Once again, Haruka was pulled from her thoughts, this time by the sound of Hotaru's quiet, almost shy voice.

The Queen smiled. "Indeed you have, Hotaru."

Hotaru smiled faintly. "I know that I am young… younger than the others," she swallowed, stepping forward. "But my responsibility is… well, not to sound conceited… one of the most important…"

"Hotaru," said a man's voice, gently, and the King of Saturn stepped forward to put a hand on her shoulder. "You know you don't have to do this… we've talked, you can always wait…"

"Father," Hotaru said firmly, but appreciatively, "I understand. I'm ready."

"Your father is right, Hotaru," the Queen offered. "You are more than allowed to wait a year or so until you feel more capable. No one would hold it against you." She was giving her an out, Haruka realized, and suddenly she felt almost sorry for the young, purple-haired girl, thinking how hard it must be to take the path of a Senshi when so many others were offering for her not to.

"While that is true, Your Majesty, none of the other senshi are given a year to prepare."

"But Hotaru," her father protested, "they are not so young, so… so--"

Hotaru bowed her head. "Queen Serenity would not have asked if she herself did not feel I was capable," she said quietly. She looked up, her violet eyes sparkling with determination. "I am ready."

The Queen nodded, smiling slightly, almost proudly, and with a wave of her hand, a black cat appeared, a small crescent moon mark on it's forehead, and produced a purple henshin stick . The Queen handed this stick to Hotaru, who accepted it graciously.

"From this moment on, you are now Hotaru, the Senshi of Saturn."

There was no clapping, no cheering; Haruka found the room uncomfortably silent. Only the sound of a muffled sob was heard, and Haruka was surprised to see tears sliding down King Saturn's cheeks.

"He really loves her," Tachi whispered, and Haruka felt remorse for the man. How hard would it be to let your daughter go so young? Especially to such a dangerous, uncertain fate?

A moment later, Hotaru was at her father's side, and he was hugging her fiercely close, telling her how proud he was of her in a hoarse whisper.

Haruka could not help but feel just a little jealous. How she longed for her father to be there, watching her accept her rite as a Senshi, fulfilling her duty to her planet and her system, telling her how proud he was. But he WAS there, she told herself. Even on the moon, she knew her father was with her.

Queen Serenity watched Hotaru and her father for a moment, before raising her eyes to another.

"Michiru…?" she started, a slight smile gracing her royal features, almost as if she knew the answer. Michiru stepped forward and curtsied respectfully.

"Your majesty," she started as she raised up to look Queen Serenity in the eye. Haruka felt her heartbeat quicken and a twinge of nervousness for Michiru, regardless of the fact that she knew what the aqua-haired beauty's answer would be as much as the Queen, apparently, knew.

"My duty is to my planet, and my people," Michiru started carefully. "As the heir to the Neptunian throne, my priorities must be set as such. To lay my life on the line for such an important cause is something that I feel is expected, and freely given. Therefore, it would be an honor to accept the title of Sailor Neptune."

The Queen nodded, a smile gracing her lips. "Well spoken, Michiru," she said quietly. Michiru nodded. Without hesitation, the black cat once again stepped forward, this time producing an aqua-colored stick. The Queen presented it to Michiru, who accepted it gracefully, and said, "From this moment on, Michiru, you are now the Senshi of Neptune."

Michiru bowed respectfully. "Your majesty."

The Queen nodded, and Haruka noticed King Neptune nodding as well, his fist by his side in a gesture of triumph.

'Well,' she thought, 'We know who's guiding Michiru's decisions…'

And almost as she finished her thought, everyone's eyes were now focused on her.

"Go on, Haruka," Tachi whispered and he backed up a few steps.

She was more nervous than she had ever been in her life, but yet, she felt a presence inside her- one of utmost confidence, and it soothed her. It was a somehow familiar confidence, and as the Queen summoned her, she realized that it was her father's presence, guiding her as he always had in times when she needed him.

She stepped forward, bowed, and her eyes caught the Queen's. "Haruka," Queen Serenity started in a gentle voice. "What is your decision?"

Heart pounding, eyes staring at her, she was unaffected.

"Queen Serenity," she started, "I came here yesterday with every intention of refusing this title."

There were several gasps from the crowd, but the Queen did not seem worried.

"But… something changed my mind," she continued. The Queen smiled slightly, a quick glance spared in Michiru's direction- she knew exactly what that something- or someone- was. "It has come to my attention that some things were fated to happen. My personal duty has always been to the protection of the people I hold dear- my people, my planet. This duty has helped me to make my decisions at all costs. This, to me, is another way of serving my planet. So to answer your question, your majesty… I accept the title of Sailor Uranus." She punctuated it with a bow.

The Queen nodded, and quietly, so that only Haruka could hear, said, "Your father would be proud, Haruka."

Surprised, the blonde raised her eyes and said, "Thank you, your majesty."

The black cat once again performed it's duty and presented Haruka with a navy stick.

'_Well, blue's not too bad_,' she thought.

"From this moment on, you are now Haruka, the Senshi of Uranus."

She turned, and caught Michiru's eye. She was smiling at her, and she looked at Tachi. He gave her a thumbs-up, and she rolled her eyes.

The Queen spoke. "Everyone, we now have our Outer Senshi. With this final ceremony the Sailor Senshi have all been gathered, and we now have the strength to defeat anything that threatens our peace." She smiled. "Let us all enjoy the evening."

And with that, the ceremony was over. There was a slight outbreak of noise as people began talking about the events that had transpired, and Haruka glanced over once more and saw Tachi heavily immersed in conversation with the Ambassador of the Alliance.

"Oh, jeez," she muttered to herself. Who did that leave her with? Michiru was standing with her parents. Perhaps this was the best moment to meet the King of Neptune.

She advanced over to the small gathering of Neptunian Royalty, and as she approached, she came face-to-face with two spears, pointed directly at her chest.

"Halt, stranger!" Two guards glared at her from beneath heavy, intricately decorated helmets, set low on their brows. Haruka's hand drifted to the hilt of the sword strapped to her hip, pretty certain that she could take them, but more concerned at their presence in the first place.

"Haruka!"

She glanced up from her deadlocked glare with the two guards. Michiru was smiling brilliantly at her. "Stand down," she commanded, and the guards at once had their spears lowered and backed away, seemingly as quickly as they appeared.

Haruka smiled as Michiru came closer. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," the aqua-haired girl returned, her eyes sparkling. "I see you went with your destiny."

"I guess so…"

"Tenoh Haruka," interrupted a strong, deep, commanding male voice.

Haruka glanced up slightly to meet the dark blue eyes of the King of Neptune. He was half a foot taller than her, with broad shoulders and a heavily muscled physique. He had a broad face as well, and his hair was a darker shade of Michiru's with somewhat graying sideburns and a thick patch of dark turquoise hair on his chin. Everything about his posture commanded respect and dignity, but Haruka was determined not to be intimidated.

"King Neptune, I presume?" she raised an eyebrow.

The King smiled, the smile never reaching his eyes. "Of course." He stuck his hand out formally and Haruka took it, and they shook. The King's grip was like iron, nearly crushing the blonde's hand. Their gaze never broke as Haruka squeezed back.

King Neptune's eyes narrowed, his face showing his seriousness. "I hear your planet has just recovered from a civil war," he said as their hands parted.

"Yes, sir."

"Tell me, Tenoh. What caused this civil war to happen?"

Haruka swallowed. "Not really sure, sir. We believe it was a small invasion."

"I see." The king's eyes narrowed impossibly further. "Have you sent intelligence?"

Haruka was at a loss for words. Talk about the weather, talk about anything but this! "We have an investigation pending."

"Don't you suppose you should have had it immediately?"

"Father…" Michiru started.

"Never take a chance with security, Tenoh."

"Yes, sir."

"Say, Tenoh, what's the ratio on your defense systems? Are they up to par?"

"Well, the better person to ask would be my defense officer, Tachi." Haruka felt rather uncomfortable being grilled for information.

"Maybe so, but you should know of these things, Tenoh! After all, you are the ruler of Uranus, correct? What if there was to be, well, an _invasion_? You'd want to know of what's going--"

"Excuse me, sir," a small, shy, female voice interrupted.

The King turned to the sound and saw one of his attendants. "Well?" he asked, obviously annoyed at this interruption.

"I have important news from the home planet, sir…"

The King spared Haruka one more glance.

"Very well, then. Tenoh, remember what I said." He gave her a brief nod, and turned, gesturing for his wife, who had not been introduced to her, to follow him as he exited.

Michiru remained behind. "I should say good-bye to them. They'll be leaving soon." She sighed.

Haruka was relieved at their departure. Truthfully, she could not keep up with the King's intensity. "I suppose so," she said finally. "Does he always have guards trailing him?"

"He says you can never be too careful." Michiru shrugged. "I think he likes you, actually. Though it's hard to tell."

Haruka laughed nervously. "Sure."

The next day, Haruka was summoned to the Queen's Audience Chamber.

"What's all that about?" Tachi was asking as she prepared herself.

"How should I know? Listen, have you spoken to Kayle?"

Tachi nodded. "Yeah, everything's settling down back home."

"Good. Has he.." She hesitated, but decided to ask anyway. "Has he sent out the investigation yet?"

Tachi rolled his eyes. "Duh, Haruka. It's been out for days."

She was instantly relieved. "Any results?"

Tachi shook his head. "Nothing so far."

"Okay, then. Well, I'm off."

Upon arriving, she noticed Michiru was already there, waiting.

"Your majesty?" she questioned.

"Haruka, Michiru, I wanted to speak with both of you alone, before training began, because your Senshi duties are… different, from the other Senshi."

"How so?" Michiru questioned suspiciously.

"You and Haruka are partners, to put it bluntly. Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune have always been grouped together as a team, complimenting each other on physical and mental strengths and weaknesses. Because of this, your training requires you to work together and perfect your harmony. As a team, Uranus and Neptune are far stronger than any one Senshi alone. Since you are the only two Outer Senshi who will take up training, it seems fitting that you will be partners."

"The only two taking up training?" Haruka asked. "What about Pluto and Saturn?"

"Their duties are quite different than your own. Pluto is the Guardian of Time, and her duties are to watch the Gate of Time, a large responsibility that will require her to spend much time away from all of this, which is the reasoning behind her lack of attendance at the ceremony yesterday. As for Sailor Saturn, she is the Senshi of Destruction, a terrible burden and responsibility on one so young. She must first learn to control her extraordinary amount of power before she can begin to use it. Because of this, her training will take time much longer than it will take you two. And despite the Inner Senshi having been thus for longer, they are still not at a level that will compare to yours once you begin. You two are, as I said, alone in this task."

They were silent for a moment. The Queen paused, allowing them to consider her words, and then continued.

"As Uranus and Neptune, you are both keepers of a talisman." As she said this, the Queen produced the talismans, handing each in turn to their holders. "Michiru, it will be your responsibility to look after the Deep Aqua Mirror, and Haruka, the Space Sword. Guard them well. For now, they will be in alternate space, awaiting your summoning. If you find that you are in need, they will appear, for they are linked to the aura of your planetary powers."

They nodded, and the talismans disappeared.

"As I said before, your foundation is built on teamwork and trust. It is one of the most important things I can stress to you about your upcoming training. Do you have any concerns about performing your duty?"

Both of them shook their heads. "No, your majesty."

The Queen smiled knowingly. "It is a lot to think about, ne? But now, enjoy the afternoon. There will be plenty of time for training tomorrow."

And with that, the Queen turned and walked away, leaving the two to their thoughts.

---------------------------

Another one bites the dust... and another one down, another one down... -stops singing- Okay. :P This was a pretty long chapter. A lot o' stuffs happened, kinda. As usual, thanks for the reviews! See ya next time...


	5. Signs of a Return

Thanks to everyone for the reviews. It's nice (or terrifying) to know that people actually read this garbage, rofl. Hey, as long as you're enjoying it, whatev. :D

Sailor Moon ain't mine. That's all I'm sayin.

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The following day began Haruka and Michiru's Senshi training. They met up and walked to the Training Arena near the back of the palace grounds, and were introduced to their instructor: a large, broad, man resembling a bear, with a jet black ponytail and a goatee.

They learned that his name was Guru, and he had trained the original Sailor Senshi in many years past. He was not unkind, but very determined and demanded much from his pupils.

Haruka and Michiru's days were mostly filled with physical and mental focus training to build their Senshi powers. At first learning to transform and transform quickly under pressure, coupled with toning muscles, endurance training and other exercises designed to build their stamina. It was rough, and for the first two weeks neither of them could do much more than go to training and go to sleep, battered and bruised. It was easier on Haruka than Michiru, having been the commander of the Uranian military and been through toned-down levels of many of the exercises, but it was still exhausting.

After the initial first two weeks, it became easier, yet harder. Their physical training had become easier now that they were past the initial toning, but on top of that Guru had added bookwork to test their mental capabilities. Most of it consisted of math, science, and problem-solving strategies. Michiru excelled in this area and soon they both noticed that they complimented each other in ways they could have never guessed at first glance.

Part of the first month's training was used to build trust in each other and to find their balance, discovering each other's strengths and weaknesses and learning to bridge the gap. However, it was surely a weakness for them to depend too much on each other, and some days they were trained separately and alone.

After two months, Guru upped their training level, and they began working on how to control their planetary powers and attacks. This proved difficult, because with their fitness training still intensifying to accommodate all kinds of scenarios, summoning the strength to unleash planetary powers was, to them, an impossible feat.

At three months, they had mastered unleashing their planetary powers and were learning to summon their talismans and to combine them with the use of their planetary powers, creating new, stronger attacks. Now Guru had their fitness training familiarizing them with different environments found in their solar system, and they learned just why the Training Arena was used for training- it could emulate whatever extremes needed.

Learning to fight in subzero temperatures, extreme heat, or on unstable ground with sometimes lethal weather such as acid rain or hurricane-force winds was a difficult task as well.

After five months of training, and levels of bookwork increased to where they had nearly no time to sleep, it seemed likely that they would not finish their training alive.

From Haruka's point of view, she wondered how the Inner Senshi had ever survived any of this, being that they were so young. But then, she remembered Queen Serenity's words- that they were at another level and their powers were stronger than theirs.

Haruka was curious to see what their last month of training would consist of, and Michiru was not far behind her.

"We've reached the final month of your training," Guru started seriously. "This is the most important training of all. Should mistakes be made here, it can prove fatal. We have moved past the months of easiness. There will be times, during these last weeks, where it will be extremely difficult to continue. But this is when you must search inside yourself. Are you ready?"

What could they say but yes?

They nodded, and Guru bowed his head. "Very well then. Let us begin."

At the end of his statement, he unleashed a ball of energy that shook the entire arena. Haruka and Michiru barely had time to dodge the first attack before he was letting loose another one at them.

"Transform!" Michiru shouted as the walls crumbled around them.

They summoned their henshin sticks and were instantly Uranus and Neptune.

"World… Shaking!" Uranus threw a ball of energy at Guru, who easily absorbed it and blasted her with one of his own.

"Haruka!" Neptune cried, turning to the blonde as she hit the floor.

Guru stopped his attacks and the Training Arena reverted to its original form. He walked closer to the two senshi and stopped.

"This is a fatal mistake," he said. "You must learn to leave your partner and finish the battle at all costs."

Neptune looked up with horrified eyes, kneeling beside Uranus, who sat up painfully.

"It will be hard," Guru's voice quieted. "But if you cannot do it, then you will surely cost the solar system its peace. My point has been proven. You are free for the day."

Michiru was troubled by Guru's request. Leave Haruka at all costs? She admitted that she was attracted to the blonde, and after months of spending every hour together, she could also admit that she cared very deeply for her as a friend and partner, and perhaps something else that she had been denying. Because of her caring, how could she just leave her to die?

But if she did not, was she doing her duty? Guru had said the fate of the solar system depended on her doing so if it came down to it. Could she?

It was the hardest decision Michiru had ever had to make. But it was one she had to face, for certain.

Their next day at training, Guru did not mention their previous lesson. Nor did he mention it for the following month that completed their training. However, he had been right about it being their most difficult section. Guru had, at times, hurt them very badly and demanded they keep fighting. Training them how to fight with wounds was a part of the program that Guru did not like. But it was something that had to be done.

The final week, Guru trained them on quick first aid of several wounds. If able to get to a safe area, they could perform first aid in the span of a few moments and be back in the fight.

At last their six-month training was nearly over. They had one final test, which resulted in them battling Guru again, but this time, their perfect trained fighting technique won out.

"You have completed your training," said Guru at last. "There is nothing more I can do for you." He smiled. "Haruka, Michiru… I do believe you are stronger, even, than the previous Uranus and Neptune. Please, remember my words when you are on the battle field." He looked directly into Michiru's eyes. "For all our sakes."

"Ne, Minako, have you seen Haruka and Michiru?" Usagi was curious of the duo, and had not seen them since the beginning of their training. She sat eating a small snack cake, lounging on a chair.

"No, I haven't," The other blonde replied. She thought for a moment. "I think their training is perhaps over."

"We should go and visit them!"

"Yes!"

"Visit who?" Makoto asked, entering the two's quarters, followed by Rei and Ami.

"Haruka and Michiru!" Usagi answered.

"Ah."

Five minutes later, the five girls were sneaking around the Palace.

"Do you see them?"

"SSHH! Usagi, be quiet!"

They tiptoed around the corner, and stopped when they heard the sound of laughter.

"Hey, little kittens, you're a long way from your wing of the Palace."

The girls turned at the sound of Haruka's voice.

"Haruka! Michiru!"

"Hello, girls," Michiru smiled warmly.

"Are you done with your training?" Rei questioned.

"Yeah! How was it?" Makoto followed up, punching her left hand with her fist.

"Was it hard?" Usagi asked.

"It was… difficult," Michiru answered carefully, still smiling. She glanced at Haruka.

"Yeah," she agreed, nodding her head.

"But you two are now Sailor Senshi, officially," Ami pointed out.

"Mm-hm," Michiru answered, still glancing at Haruka.

"Say, kittens, we've got to go. We've still got bookwork, you know," Haruka said, and at the looks of their disappointment, continued, "But we will be seeing you around. We do live here, after all. Ja."

"Bye," Michiru said with a friendly wave.

"Haruka! Spar with me sometime?" Makoto called.

"Tell me when and I'll be there," Haruka winked as they departed.

"They seem very friendly," Ami commented as the five of them watched the duo go.

"Yeah, almost as if they grew up together or something," Rei agreed.

"They look almost like a couple!" Minako blurted.

They all turned on her, blushing like mad and nearly falling over. "WHAT?!"

"They're cute," Haruka said once her and Michiru were down the hall.

"Yes," Michiru agreed. Haruka paused, glancing down at Michiru, whose eyes held a faraway look.

"Michiru," Haruka started.

"Hm?"

"Is there something wrong? You seem… well, distant."

"It's nothing." Michiru smiled. "I'm perfectly fine."

Haruka nodded, but remained unconvinced.

Once in her room after saying good night to Haruka, Michiru threw off her clothes, stripping down to her underwear. She examined herself in her full-length mirror, and sighed.

'Oh, Haruka,' she thought. 'Frustration is what's wrong with me.'

She inspected her body- she was not unattractive by anyone's standards, and yet, Michiru found herself trying to find things wrong with her.

Truthfully, she missed the intense attraction that Haruka and she had first shared upon their introduction. It was herself she had been talking about when they had first engaged in conversation, herself who had fallen madly in love with her. News of the Uranian civil war had reached Neptune; after all, the planets were somewhat connected. She had heard of Haruka even before she had met her, which started the longing behind her crush. That first fated meeting on the moon and the fact that they were Senshi, whose duties entwined more strongly than any in the universe's existence, was more than she had ever hoped for.

She was desperately attracted to the blonde for reasons even she could not come up with. Haruka was no more dashing, no more charming and no more handsome than many of her previous suitors. And yet… she was more so. It was because she was so beautiful that Michiru could not contain herself.

She knew that Haruka was attracted to her as well… but then, what was stopping them from consummating that attraction? She shivered at the thought.

She sighed again. Perhaps Haruka wasn't as attracted to her as she thought. It had been 6 months since they had met. What had changed about her so much that would have quelled Haruka's attraction?

Her hair was a bit longer. But that was a trifle which she hoped would not mean so much to one she loved so dearly. Her stomach was flatter, perhaps. Her thighs and legs more toned than they were, from training. She met her eyes in her reflection, sadly. What was it?

Down the hall, Haruka was questioning her status with Michiru as well. Truthfully, she was worried about the aqua-haired girl. To Haruka it seemed as though Michiru was troubled by something, but she wasn't stupid. She could see the way Michiru looked at her. Those deep, ocean blue eyes held so much intense emotion that it made her stomach want to do back flips. She wanted to take the initiative, make a move, something, but the reality was that she was scared of how things would change after she did so. Relationships always complicated things, and she wasn't sure that if they did try and it didn't work out, that senshi duties could still be performed.

Her attraction to the aqua-haired beauty had only grown since their first meeting, and every day she spent with her made it stronger and harder to contain.

'_I need a hobby_…'

Over the next few days, Haruka found just that- a hobby. She spent a lot of time with Makoto sparring, helping to build the young Senshi of Jupiter's fighting strength.

Michiru also occupied herself with things to do. She spent many afternoons painting or swimming in the bay. Solitude was what she was accustomed to, though it hurt slightly that Haruka and she did not spend as much time together as before. She found herself missing the blonde's presence at times, but kept her distance.

One such day she was sitting on the grass in a field, painting the horizon. The sound of her brush stroking the canvas gave a feeling of calm, and she could smell the ocean on the wind.

"May I join you?"

She turned, recognizing Haruka's low voice at once. The sight of the blonde nearly took her breath away. Haruka was dressed no more stunning than she usually was, but the ache in her heart made Michiru realize that she had missed her a lot more than she would let herself believe. She smiled curiously, raising one eyebrow. "Join me?"

Haruka took a few casual steps towards Michiru's easel. "Yes. Unless you and your painting would like to remain… alone."

Michiru laughed and patted the grass next to her and Haruka sat, resting her arm on one bent knee, the other leg stretched out in front of her. She looked skyward.

"So what brings you out here, Haruka?" Michiru asked as she dabbed absently at her painting.

"The weather's nice. I wanted to watch the clouds." Haruka closed her eyes and felt the wind caress her face. She laid back and gazed up at the clouds, watching them roll serenely by.

"We don't have clouds on Neptune," Michiru commented.

Haruka looked astonished. "No clouds? No rain, then?" The aqua-haired girl shook her head.

"Neptune is covered almost completely in water. Because of that, the atmosphere is incredibly misty, with a very high humidity rate. It makes it somewhat harder to breathe on the surface of the small continent on the planet."

Haruka shook her head. "Wow. I wonder why they don't teach us that in school?" The aqua-haired girl shrugged. Haruka looked thoughtful for a minute. "How long have you been painting?"

"My entire life," Michiru smiled. "Don't you have an outlet?"

Haruka laughed gently, turning her head to look at Michiru. "I do, but it's rather embarrassing to say. I learned when I was much younger. It was at my mom's request that, though I learned the art of sparring and horsemanship at a young age, I should also learn some form of refined art as well to balance." She ran a hand through her blonde hair.

Michiru paused and focused on the blonde. "Well?" Haruka laughed again. "Do I have to pry it out of you?"

"That won't be necessary," the blonde grinned, then turned suddenly serious. "I write poetry."

Michiru giggled. "Poetry?"

Haruka rolled her eyes. "Yes, poetry. I told you it was embarrassing."

"No, Haruka! Not at all. I think it's sweet."

Haruka just rolled her eyes again. "Of course."

They sat for another few moments, observing their environment, Haruka watching the clouds and musing over Michiru's earlier statements. Finally, she stood up, smiled, and took her leave of the artist. Michiru watched the blonde leave, and suddenly it felt a lot colder outside.

It was later that night, as Haruka was brooding in her usual thinking spot, that she noticed it. A cold wind rushed past her face, making her shiver. It had already begun to get cold as the winter approached, but the wind that she had felt was a different chill altogether. She was only in her Pjs, which consisted of her usual tee shirt and boxers, but the frosty breeze was enough to raise her guard. The sound of the door opening and closing made her turn, reacting with a fighting stance.

"It's just me," Michiru said softly, and Haruka noticed that she was wearing only a light blue bra, matching panties, and an open white dress shirt which hardly covered her form. She was shivering lightly.

Haruka stared for a moment before raising her gaze to Michiru's eyes. "Did you feel that?" she asked, her voice a little unsteady, mostly because the sight of Michiru had affected her more than she would have liked.

Michiru only nodded, still shivering slightly, and their eyes locked, their gaze intense. Haruka nodded slowly, and they both pulled out their henshin sticks.

"URANUS PLANET POWER!"

"NEPTUNE PLANET POWER!"

"MAKE UP!"

Seconds later, they were Neptune and Uranus, and Uranus gestured for Neptune to follow her as they jumped off the balcony and headed into the woods.

Once in the woods, Neptune closed her eyes, trying to sense where the darkness was located. She took a step to the left, trying to catch the vibe. Uranus watched her, keeping her ears and eyes open for any signs of the dark presence. She turned when she heard a small sound, like the cracking of a twig. She took a view steps towards the sound, drawing her Space Sword, but did not feel any dark energy. She lowered her sword only slightly, and turned back to find Neptune gone.

She glanced quickly at the direction where the aqua-haired girl had been, and from out of the darkness, instead a black youma hurled itself at her. It was thin and tall, awkwardly shaped, and had huge claws on its arms and a large gaping mouth full of sharp teeth. Its claws landed on her shoulders, pushing her back. She sliced with her sword, but the thing was too fast!

It slashed at her and she dodged, leaping back. The youma laughed and again tried to attack her. 'I've got to get a few seconds to attack, but this thing is too fast,' she thought as she dodged yet another attack. She finally managed to land a blow in the creature's leg, and it went down, screaming in pain.

"DEEP SUBMERGE!"

A huge wave of energy crashed over the youma and it cried out and reverted into a human form, much to Uranus and Neptune's surprise.

"He's battered, but alive," Neptune confirmed, kneeling next to the fallen man. "He's unconscious."

"We'll see what Queen Serenity decides to do with him, then."

After tying him up and transporting to the palace, Uranus and Neptune were greeted by Queen Serenity, five palace guards, and the Inner Senshi.

"Thank goodness," the Queen said, a tone of relief evident in her voice. "I was concerned. Mars sensed an evil presence and I sent guards to stir all the Senshi, but you were gone by the time they went to wake you."

Uranus glared at their captive, who was beginning to awaken. "It seems we were already roused by _this_ vermin."

She had him over her shoulder and now, disgusted, flung him to the floor. Queen Serenity gasped as she noticed the uniform.

"The Dark Kingdom!"

All eyes turned to the Queen as she clenched her fist.

"What, your majesty?" Neptune questioned.

"The Dark Kingdom," Queen Serenity repeated. "They were the original downfall of my fellow Senshi long ago… But I banished them! How is it that they have returned?"

Uranus glanced at the Dark Kingdom scout. She reached down to grab his collar, lifting his upper back from the floor. "Speak, filth! Why were you hiding in the woods?"

"I do not answer to the likes of you!" the man said hoarsely, glaring and grinning maniacally.

In an instant Uranus's sword was drawn, pressed against his throat. "Perhaps with some persuasion, you will!"

"Haruka, let it go," Queen Serenity stated calmly. "I will make sure he is taken care of."

"That's right, little minion," the Dark Kingdom scout crowed. "Listen to your traitorous queen!" He laughed insanely, and Uranus narrowed her eyes, ignoring the gibe.

"Hold your tongue, worm, or I'll cut it out for you."

"Guards," the Queen started.

The Dark Kingdom scout's eyes looked fearful, and then he randomly burst into a fit of maniacal laughter, which ended in a sudden spasm. Uranus backed off of the scout just in time to see his body crumbling into a fine, black powder, which began to melt into an oozing, bright green acid that burned into the floor.

"Ugh…"

"Everyone, let's get back to bed. Mars, Neptune- any more vibes?"

Mars shook her head. "I feel none, Your Majesty."

"Nor I," Neptune agreed.

"Well, then. Guards, let us get this mess cleaned up."

The Inners reverted their transformations and Uranus was amused to see the bunny slippers and pink, fuzzy robe Usagi was wearing. She laughed slightly at the sight.

"Haruka, Michiru," the Queen began. "Thank you."

"No need," Uranus said seriously as she lowered her head in respect.

"It is our duty, after all," Neptune smiled, giving a small bow as she did.

Back near their quarters and in privacy, they detransformed. Haruka was once again caught off guard at Michiru's outfit.

Michiru scratched her head. "It's your shirt," she started softly.

Haruka nodded, a little confused.

"Remember when my leg got seriously wounded from Guru's training?"

Haruka turned slightly and lowered her eyes. She remembered all too well. Images of her removing her shirt to bandage the ocean senshi's wound came back to her. The sight and smell of blood and her own shaking hands flashed in her mind. "Yes. I do."

Michiru was silent. "Well…" She took a few tentative steps towards Haruka's tense frame, hoping to initiate some sort of conversation.

"Michiru, I--" Haruka started, looking up. Her startled eyes met the blue depths of Michiru's and Haruka swallowed at her sudden closeness. Her face was a few inches from the aqua-haired girl's, and she could feel the warmth of Michiru's body heat. Michiru stood there, feeling rather helpless, wondering if she should make the first move or not. It would be so easy…

Haruka pulled back, slowly, and turned her head. This was not the time for such feelings. "Never mind."

Michiru swallowed, remaining silent.

"It's been a long night. I think we should retire." Haruka began to return to her room. "Good night, Michiru."

"Good night, Haruka…"

-------------------

So, the plot thickens... I used rue... Hyuk hyuk, little cooking joke, there. I do have a day-job as a chef, after all, hahahaaaa...

Yeah, so the Training Arena was kind of emulated off of the Danger Room from X-men, which also isn't mine... but uh... it's just slightly different. It's not called the Danger Room. Haha.

My ideas - soooo not original.

...yeah, so anyways. See you next time:)


	6. Loss

Okay, now here is where the M rating starts to take effect. It was all puppies and butterflies before now, but this chappie has some violence in it. Nothing too graphic, cuz that ain't my deal, but just to warn ya that there do be some violence, at least for the next few chapters.

I still do not own Sailor Moon. I do, however, own a very nice polo shirt that I wear on occasion.

No, that had nothing to do with anything. Sorry. :(

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Over the next few days, the palace was buzzing with talk of the Dark Kingdom's scout. News traveled fast, despite the Queen's best efforts to quell the details, and in no time at all rumors were circulating every level of the kingdom.

Tachi had returned from the planet Uranus to have a serious, in-depth talk with Haruka about the prospect of battle and to discuss some tactics. The two were immersed in such talks, and Tachi spent much time frequenting transports back and forth to further involve Kayle in Haruka's ideas and suggestions, and to withdraw his own strategies.

With Haruka tied up in such meetings, Michiru spent even less time with her partner than she had before. She spent the majority of her time on her own painting or swimming. Other times she would travel to the Inner Senshi's wing on the other side of the palace, and get to know the younger girls and share with them her experiences.

On this day, however, she was alone with her thoughts. She observed Haruka and Tachi, from afar, as they conversed about their plans of action- judging by the more frequent trips by Tachi, they were very close to summarizing their plan.

Longingly, she watched Haruka smile and immerse herself in the matter at hand. She wished that Haruka would pay that much attention to her, regardless of what intentions were behind it. She halfway missed training class, for at least in class they would spend the majority of their time together. Truthfully, she missed her athletic partner's company.

"Lighten up, Michiru…"

The aqua-haired girl looked up from her reverie at the cryptic voice. "Hm?"

Sailor Pluto had appeared, standing a few feet from her, smiling in that knowing way. Pluto always knew what was happening- after all, she was the Guardian of Time. "Your future has a few small rain clouds hiding the many, vast clear skies."

Michiru gave her a puzzled look and glanced at Haruka again, who was now walking with Tachi down the hall, her black boots making no sound as she stepped ever farther away.

"They don't seem all that small," Michiru mused as she watched the blonde go.

She received no answer, and Michiru nodded slightly. She knew Pluto had gone. Michiru decided that perhaps she should take the initiative… Obviously leaving things the way they were was not pleasant to her.

That night, Michiru knocked on Haruka's bedroom door, hoping for a response. Haruka answered, a little startled to see Michiru there.

"Come in," she said, moving to allow Michiru entrance.

It was only the third time Michiru had been into the tomboy's bedroom, but she found it the same as always- mostly clean and tidy, with maybe a few freshly worn articles of clothing littering the floor.

"What brings you?" Haruka asked, somewhat nervously. The aqua-haired girl's presence made her edgy, although she had no reason to be. It was just that their prolonged absence from one another had helped to quell some of the desire the blonde was feeling for her partner, but now that the Neptunian princess was standing in her quarters in such close proximity, the passions and emotions, so long subdued, were quickly returning.

"I… missed you," Michiru answered honestly. Haruka swallowed hard.

"I see. I've… missed you, too," the blonde returned softly, her head lowering slightly, almost as if she were embarrassed to admit it.

"How are your battle tactics coming along?" the artist asked, suddenly changing the subject. She did not want to make Haruka uncomfortable.

Haruka raised her head. "Very well. We think we've figured out where their makeshift base is located."

"Oh?" Michiru raised an eyebrow.

Haruka grinned. "Yeah." She reached for a scroll that was on her dresser and rolled it out on her bed. "See…" she started, gesturing Michiru closer, and pointing to the star chart. "We figured that Uranus is the likeliest target for a ground operation.. Pluto is too far, and Saturn is too well defended, along with your planet." She nodded at her. "The fact that Uranus has just gone through a civil war and that their ruler is away on Senshi duty is just the kind of opportunity they would need. If scouts have reached the moon, they surely have a strong base set up in this solar system. My planet just seems like the easiest target."

Haruka rolled the chart up and looked into Michiru's eyes. "Tachi and I have been talking with Kayle, and he thinks that he might've found their location. Tomorrow he will gather our ground forces to prepare for an assault, once I get Queen Serenity's approval for senshi backup." She grinned devilishly. "We'll show those Dark Kingdom lackeys what we're made of."

Despite the confidence so evident in her partner's voice, Michiru neither shared nor believed it. She had a bad feeling about the coming battle.

A very bad feeling.

As promised, the next day Haruka was on a transport back to Uranus, despite the fact that the inners were not ready to leave. She claimed it was only a matter of time before their efforts were discovered and surprise was an element they could not afford to lose. Time was of the essence.

"Michiru… are you coming?"

The aqua-haired girl had nodded then, though she was afraid of the coming battle. Afraid for herself or for Haruka, even she did not know.

She gently laced her fingers into the blonde's sturdy grip, her soft touch caressing the calloused hand. "We're partners," she said firmly. Haruka had only smiled at her then, her heart feeling as though it would swell and burst. She could not describe what the feeling was, but she thought it must have bordered on love- it was stronger than anything she had ever felt.

The ride was quiet, uneventful, and long. The moon and the planet Uranus were on opposite sides of the galaxy at that point during the year, making the trip agonizingly slow. Neither spoke, both lost in their own scenarios, their own versions of how things might or might not play out. Michiru had realized that, despite Uranus's close proximity to her own planet, she had never before visited the windy planet. She wondered what it would be like, if the gravity was much stronger, if her powers would flow as freely, and she was nervous about meeting Haruka's cabinet.

The transport landed roughly and the door opened.

Michiru swallowed. This was it.

"Ah, Princess Kaioh, I've heard so much about you," a brawny man even taller than Haruka had said to her in his thick Uranian-accented voice, before she had even stepped off the shuttle.

"Kayle, nice to see you, too," Haruka said dryly as her feet touched Uranian soil once more.

The brawny man known as Kayle laughed loudly and winked at Michiru, who had just now stepped off the transport ramp. "Ladies first," he said, grinning broadly.

Haruka approached Kayle and their arms met between them. Michiru observed the strange arm-grasping gesture in amusement, and smiled as Haruka finally hugged the older man. "I've missed you," she said hoarsely.

"You halfwit," Kayle chuckled, "You didn't do Princess Kaioh any justice in your descriptions." His brown eyes caught Michiru's and there was a mischievous twinkle in them as he added, "She's much more beautiful in person."

Michiru blushed like mad.

Later, after dinner and introductions and even more battle tactics had been discussed, Haruka was walking Michiru to her private quarters. "I hope you don't mind staying in my old bedroom," she said. "Kayle insists I take the master bedroom, even though it belonged to my parents. It still kind of creeps me out a little, I suppose…" she grinned wryly. "That leaves you with the bedroom that was mine. I would have had another room prepared, but with the reinforcements that've traveled from across the continent--"

"I'm sure it will suit me just fine," Michiru interrupted, flashing Haruka one of her award-winning smiles. Haruka felt her heart skip a beat.

They walked together in silence, with only Michiru commenting on how warm it was compared to the moon.

"It's summer time for us, since we're on a different rotation," Haruka had responded, and Michiru told her that it was always the same temperature on Neptune because of the humidity and the way the heat from the sun, although so distant, was retained in the haze.

As they walked, Michiru took note of her surroundings- the location of the nearest grand hall, how to return to the dining hall from where she was, and other things she might need to know during her stay. Once they arrived, Haruka lead Michiru into the bedroom, smiling almost sadly as she gazed around the room.

"It's been almost 2 years," she started, her back to the artist.

"Since they died?" Michiru questioned, and at a slight nod from Haruka, she added, "I'm sorry. It must be hard-- losing your parents."

"It gets easier with time," Haruka said softly. "But Kayle and Tachi are all I have left, and even then… Kayle's like a father to me. Tachi's just an annoying older brother," she joked.

Michiru felt the sudden impulse to touch the blonde, to slide her arms around her waist and lay her head against her back. She resisted, barely, and instead placed a gentle hand on the blonde's shoulder. "You have me," she said in a low, quiet tone.

Haruka smiled slightly. "Thank you," she said. She straightened up, all trace of sadness wiped from her façade. "If you need anything, you know where to find me." Michiru nodded slowly, her eyes locking with Haruka's. "Good night, Michiru…"

"Good night…"

------

"Kayle, how many are there?"

"No word as of yet, M'lord," Kayle responded, his dark eyebrows furrowing with worry. "Although my guess would be in the thousands."

Haruka reeled back as if she had been hit. "The thousands," she stated blankly. Her eyes narrowed. "No matter. We will defeat them."

Kayle smiled weakly, the smile never reaching his eyes. "I certainly hope so."

Michiru stood next to Kayle as Haruka unsheathed her sword and walked along the line-up of her top fighters, her Jou- each she offered encouraging words, and each brought their sword up in a sign of respect and honor.

"The inner senshi are on their way," Michiru informed him as they both stood watching Haruka make her rounds.

"Aye, but we can't wait for them to arrive," he stated matter-of-factly. "This battle counts on the element of surprise, and if we wait much longer, we may not have that. We have already come close to being discovered." He sighed deeply, placing his hand on the hilt of his broad sword. "I will lead our ground forces in the assault- hopefully it will be enough until they arrive to finish it."

Michiru swallowed. "Kayle…"

Kayle grinned bitterly. "Don't worry, princess. I know where my duty lies. It's just a shame that the Dark Kingdom scum made it this far… But I'm ready. It's time…"

Michiru could do nothing to stop him as he marched purposefully towards the door.

------

"Destroy them!!" Kayle shouted, charging the large group of Dark Kingdom daimons that were gathered in the precise spot where Tachi, Haruka, and himself had predicted. He had seven hundred of his strongest men behind him, flanking him, ready to take on this horrific enemy, consisting of mutated bodies and dark intentions. The Jou made quick work of the first round of daimons- almost all of them were trained in the use of Uranus's natural planetary powers, Kayle himself having mastered proficiency in them along with Haruka, who was not by his side.

The memory came back to him as his sword tore through a daimon's throat. He could still hear her voice echoing in his mind.

_"Kayle, I would rather be on the front lines with you," Haruka had said, her voice strong and determined like the leader she was._

_"And you know exactly why you can't be," he said quietly, but just as firmly. "Haruka, let me lead this fight. You are needed for other things, your destiny is elsewhere… Mine is right here, where it's always been, and right now."_

_"Kayle--"_

_"Enough. Do this, Haruka. We've no time for arguing."_

_"I will bring the cavalry then…"_

_"Fair enough."_

He gritted his teeth as he beheaded another daimon. "Tear them down!" he shouted, trying to rally his men. They were gaining ground, but he knew they were not even facing a fraction of the Dark Kingdom's forces. He prayed he would stall them long enough for the Senshi to arrive.

The Inners arrived soon after, transformed and ready to fight. Uranus had guided them to the battle which was already raging. They jumped right into the melee, the battle being the first real one the inners had experienced.

They seemed to be doing quite well. Jupiter took to fighting like the natural she was, her lightning raining down on daimons left and right. She had a grin on her face as she used her judo techniques to take out daimons without the use of her senshi powers. Mars wasn't about to be shown up, and her fires were raging, causing many daimons to burst in flames as the infernos consumed them.

Venus and Mercury had veered off and had teamed up to watch each other's back, and Usagi, now as Sailor Moon, was holding her own as well.

Uranus smiled at them, somewhat proud of the progress they'd made. She had some blood covering her in various places, and her and Neptune had been split apart as the battle raged on, though she could see the waves of crushing water engulfing daimons not far off.

She was encompassed in her fighting, taking on several at a time and not bothering to use her powers except when necessary. She found simple kicks and punches more effective and less time and energy-consuming than the use of her senshi powers. This was what she was good at- the fighting. This was what she could do, and do well. She, like Jupiter, grinned. It was a grin the daimons showed no fear of, though it proved to be a fatal mistake on their part.

Uranus's attention was caught, however, when she heard a familiar cry go up. She focused on the crowd of her men fighting in the distance. These were not her senshi partners, but her Uranian fighters who had responded to her call of defense. They were ordinary husbands, brothers, sons, fighting honorably for their planet, and, Uranus realized, they were losing!

In the thick of the mass of daimons surrounding her now devastatingly low-numbered group of soldiers, Kayle was refusing to give up. He was covered in blood, and hopelessly outnumbered, but still fighting with all his skill.

"No!" Uranus cried, as she witnessed a reinforcement of daimons moving forward to overrun Kayle and his small forces.

"KAAAYLE!" Uranus began to rush forward when a gloved hand caught her wrist, holding her back.

"Haruka!" It was Neptune.

Uranus whirled on her partner, glaring, her dark teal eyes flashing dangerously, her sword brandished threateningly. "Let me GO!"

"There are too many of them, you'll be destroyed!" Neptune argued, her eyes betraying her worry and concern.

"And what of Kayle?" Uranus demanded angrily. "Shall I stand by and watch HIM be destroyed?!"

"Haruka…"

"Out of my way!" Uranus pulled her hand free and took off, her legs moving faster than they ever had in her life.

She was so close, but at that moment, it was almost as if time stopped. She saw the daimon closing in, and Kayle, for all his efforts, was at a disadvantage. He finished off one foe, but as he turned to take on the other, it rushed him and its three long, spiked claws impaled his chest.

Uranus watched in horror as Kayle shuddered, and finally fell back, the claws of the daimon pulling out of him. He landed on his back, his last few breaths ragged and shaky.

The daimon moved forward to finish the job but Uranus was close enough to matter, now. Her sword caught the daimon's claws as they were descending and severed them in a neat line. With sudden rage, Uranus threw her hand up in the air.

"WORLD… SHAKING!!"

The daimons in close proximity were destroyed, but already she could see more advancing.

She turned to Kayle. He was lying in a pool of his own blood, and his chest neither rose nor fell. Uranus felt her heart being ripped apart all over again, memories flooding her mind. She remembered Kayle correcting her on how to hold a sword; Kayle, riding out with her on her first real terrain scout, Kayle comforting her after her parents' funeral, Kayle laughing with her after her first victory, and many more that nearly overloaded her shocked brain.

The pain of loss filled her in a huge, sudden flood- it was as if she was losing her parents again, and behind that feeling, another always followed. Revenge.

Anger, now, began to fill her in such intensity and degree that the aura surrounding her, once a faint gold color, was now brightening into a light shade of yellow, and finally, to pure white. Her teal eyes darkened impossibly further, and her hands clenched into fists.

The daimons did not seem to notice the obvious change, and continued to advance, and as Uranus stood up straight, an impossible amount of planetary energy was gathering at her core.

Neptune felt the sudden change in her partner, and a chill went up her spine. The intensity of the hatred flowing from the senshi of the wind was frightening. She had been trying unsuccessfully to reach Uranus, but the battle had shifted and daimons had closed in the gap between them. Her surging oceanic waves were proving effective, but there was no way she'd reach Uranus in time- the blonde was surrounded.

Uranus felt tears welling in her eyes as she continued to stare at Kayle's lifeless body. Her anger was starting to fade, and sadness was overtaking her. Her blonde hair was damp with sweat and tousled, her uniform spattered with blood, and somewhere on her leg she was bleeding, but these small details were of little concern to her.

The hiss of a daimon behind her reminded her that she was still in a battle. She turned almost indifferently to the sound, and the daimon swung its claw and cut her cheek.

The small pain of her cheek splitting open was enough to bring Uranus back, and her anger flared up again. With an enraged cry, she summoned all the energy she was able to muster to her, and with another ferocious scream, slammed her fist into the ground, unleashing an amount of power never before seen from her.

At once, all the senshi stopped what they were doing for a split second. The amount of power was incredible and unlimited.

Neptune shivered as she watched the blinding energy spread from Uranus in a circle, and hundreds of daimons surrounding her simply disintegrated, vaporized by the raw power.

After a few minutes, Uranus stood up, slightly shaky. She was somewhat exhausted, having never released that much energy before, and despite the fact that she had taken out an impressive amount of daimons, she was disconcerted to see that at least ten more were approaching her for what they thought was an easy kill.

She smiled slightly, her chest heaving, and spit some excess saliva from her mouth.

"So," she said quietly, "Let's begin, then…"

Neptune, the daimons that she had been fighting having been destroyed by Uranus's energy blast, began to make her way over to the blonde, who was now locked in hand-to-hand combat with two to three daimons at a time. Uranus was doing the best she could to keep up her stamina, and was barely winning, but the daimons had overwhelming numbers to their advantage; each one was fresh and energized, and without the use of her planetary powers, Neptune was afraid Uranus, by herself, could not keep up her defense for long.

Uranus slashed with her talisman, severing one daimon's arm, and as she pushed the daimon to the ground with a square kick to its chest, another daimon caught her in the stomach, taking her breath away. She doubled over slightly, wincing in pain, and the daimon cackled and quickly used its forearm to give Uranus a sharp blow to the side of her head.

Landing on her back, she managed to bring her sword up defensively to block one daimon's attempt to stab her in the head, but as she knocked its claws away, the other one seized the chance to strike- Uranus screamed in pain as the daimon's body-blade entered her shoulder. She had experienced physical pain before, but nothing as intense as this! The dark energy from the blade circulated in her wound, setting her severed nerves on fire and radiating pain throughout her entire body.

The daimon removed it's body-blade slowly, and withdrew to make the killing blow. Uranus could do nothing but lay there in agony, her shoulder muscles twitching from shock. The rest of her body felt numb, her limbs heavy. Her vision started to blur and her head was pounding.

Was this it?

"DEEP SUBMERGE!" Neptune shouted as she arrived on the scene, trying not to think of Uranus's wounded body lying before her. She made quick work of the nearby daimons, angrily blasting them with her surging waves of water, and was relieved when Mars and Jupiter arrived to finish off the others, flanked by Mercury, Venus, and Moon.

Neptune fell to her knees besides her fallen partner, examining her shoulder quickly and gazing into Uranus's eyes, which were slowly drifting closed. She was losing blood at a fatal rate, and finally her body was too weak to hold her transformation. Her uniform melted away and she was once again Haruka, though her life force was so weak, Neptune struggled to detect it.

"Haruka," Neptune said tearfully, placing her palm on the blonde's cheek. "Stay with me…"

The last thing Haruka saw was Neptune's worried face before she fell unconscious.

------------------

DUN DUN DAAAAAAAA! Okay, okay, so it wasn't _THAT_ dramatic. ;) Just so you know, I do randomly make up all the information about the planets and stuff. I did take Astronomy, but most of the info is totally convenient for my story. Is it believable? ;)

Thanks for the reviews! See ya next time. :D


	7. The Brink

Hey again, peeps. :) Sorry it took so long to update. I just went through a really bad break-up with someone I loved more than anything in the world. But eh. That's life, right:)

This chapter has some violence in it, and some strong language. Nothing too graphic, but still violent. So if that sort of stuff is scary, I reccommend not continuing. Even though the violence in this chapter is not as bad as the last chapter, haha.

So, Takeuchi said she'd get back to me about the rights to Sailor Moon. I'm still waiting to hear from her, so I figured while I wait I could write. This is what happened. Enjoy!

------------------

Haruka's eyes slitted open. The first thing she saw was a bright light shining down on her. She shuddered slightly as she regained contact of her senses, and the pain in her shoulder reached her, though it was not as intense as she remembered. She felt pressure on her hand and by her side, and she struggled to lift her head. She felt slightly dizzy, and as her eyes began to focus she realized where she was.

She was in the hospital wing of the palace on the Moon. How did she get here?

She couldn't remember anything past being stabbed in the shoulder. But realization hit her suddenly.

Kayle… he was dead.

She felt a dull ache in her heart at this memory and she looked down at her hand.

Michiru was asleep, her head resting on the edge of Haruka's bed, her hand clutching the blonde's uninjured one gently. Haruka smiled slightly, but remembered the delay Neptune had made, causing her to reach Kayle a moment too late.

She gently extracted her hand from the aqua-haired girl's grip, and this slight movement woke Michiru up. The artist smiled sleepily up at the blonde for a moment, but then her eyes narrowed and her smile faded.

"I'm glad you're awake," she said coldly. "After you scared us all half to death!"

Haruka winced at her angry tone. "I did what I needed to do."

"And what did it prove, Haruka?" Michiru demanded. "You got severely injured, and it didn't save Kayle."

The last remark angered the blonde. "I could've saved Kayle if you hadn't stopped me," Haruka accused.

Michiru's eyes narrowed even further. "I tried to stop you from endangering the mission," she said icily. "Kayle had his orders, we had ours. Nowhere did they say for you to foolishly risk your life."

Haruka exploded. "You expect me to watch people I love die?!"

"If it is our mission, then we have to! Remember what Guru said!"

"And what of you? You could have left ME to die!"

"You're my partner, Haruka!"

"What difference does that make?" She snapped. "Kayle was MY partner!"

Michiru felt as if she'd been slapped. "You endangered the mission," she said quietly. "I only did what I thought was best." She stood up to leave. "I'm sorry."

"Next time, don't do my thinking for me," Haruka called coldly, and Michiru exited the small hospital room, unwilling for Haruka to see the tears that fell from her blue eyes.

Days passed and Haruka did not receive another visit from Michiru. That troubled her slightly, but she was much too stubborn to allow it to bother her, or to try and make amends. The inner senshi frequented her hospital room, especially Usagi, and even the mysterious Pluto paid her a visit, with the young Hotaru.

Her short therapy to regain motor movement in her shoulder was painful, but she dealt with it. Within a few days, she was mostly healed thanks to her senshi powers, and the Mercurian doctor allowed her to take leave from the hospital.

Haruka was more than glad to be back to her old quarters, and back to her solitude. She was not bothered by the inner senshi, but she found she needed a lot of alone time to deal with her thoughts, and her emotions.

With Kayle gone, Tachi remained behind to rule in his absence. Haruka placed all her trust in him. Her Jou, whose numbers once reached twenty-five, were now down to seventeen, and the remaining other forces were less than half. Tachi had his work cut out for him in rebuilding her planet, but she knew he could do it. Truthfully, she was not sure she could handle being on Uranus after Kayle's death.

She returned to her home planet once within the following week, for Kayle's funeral. It was a grand funeral, like Kayle would have wanted. The sky opened up its blessing on the procession, but it only succeeded in deepening Haruka's mood. Her people had never seen her cry, not even at her own parents' funeral, but as she stood in the cold rain and watched Kayle's body being carried away to the alter for burning, she could not withhold her tears.

Tachi laid a comforting hand on her uninjured shoulder. "I know you're taking this hard," he said quietly. Haruka remained silent. "I know what you're feeling. But you have to remember your duty."

Haruka turned to Tachi with an angry glare, and pulled her shoulder from his grasp. "What would you know about how I'm feeling, Tachi?" she nearly choked. "What would anybody know?" With that, she turned and walked towards the funeral procession.

"If you won't listen to me, Haruka, then listen to Kayle. Remember his words," Tachi called after her. "Please…"

Haruka raised her hand, calling for silence, shook her head, and continued on her way.

Back on the moon, Haruka withdrew into herself more and more. The inner senshi began to worry, but never found the opportunity to approach Haruka on the subject. They confronted Michiru, in hopes that the aqua-haired beauty could help, but she was just as much at a loss as they were, perhaps more. Even contacting Tachi for advice proved fruitless. He had explained to them about Haruka's character and just how important Kayle was to her, but it did not ease their worry.

Finally, Tachi offered to return to the moon for a few days until Haruka snapped out of her funk.

Haruka was running, something she did a lot since Kayle's death. It was one of the few activities that helped her clear her head and her heart, but today, for some reason, it neither cleared her mind nor comforted her. The wind was strong, coming in gusts and whipping her hair about as her feet hit the ground with each stride.

It began to rain, the icy drops pelting her as she ran as fast as she could. She was not cold, despite the freezing temperatures outside.

"It's my fault," she repeated over and over in her mind. "I wasn't fast enough." She pushed herself past her limit and a strong gust blew past her face. "I wish I was the wind…" Her thoughts flew back to that final moment and she saw Kayle being stabbed over and over. The guilt overwhelmed her, haunted her. She ran faster.

Finally, exhausted, she keeled over, her breath coming in ragged gasps and pants, her shoulder aching from her stab wound, which was still not completely healed. She couldn't do this.

"Kayle… I'm sorry…"

"Haruka!"

The blonde looked up, still gasping for air, and saw Tachi approaching her, despite the bitter rain coming down in torrents. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. "You should be on Uranus tying up problems."

"I _am_ tying up problems- the main one being you," Tachi replied matter-of-factly, hugging his huge raincoat closer.

Haruka glared. "Oh?"

"Your friends are worried about you," Tachi continued. "You can't keep living like this, Haruka."

Haruka stood up straight, her composure returning. "And who are you to tell me how to live, Tachi?"

"A friend. I was once your advisor, remember? And I advise against you pining away over Kayle's death. It won't bring him back."

"I know that," Haruka snapped angrily.

"Instead, you should focus your energy on something more productive, like rebuilding the planet he loved."

"You don't understand," Haruka said quietly.

"What don't I understand, Haruka?"

Haruka shook her head. "It's nothing." She turned away.

"Consider my words, Haruka."

"They're considered," she said, and with that, she began to run again.

"_Stop running, Haruka, and face this."_

That night, Haruka dressed herself in normal clothes and went into town. Dark brown, leather, calf-high boots with dark brown, soft pants and a light brown tunic with a hood were the clothes that she found in the palace stables, and despite the snow that had fallen outside, she did not bring a heavy jacket. She expertly snuck out of the palace and into a commoner's tavern in town, if only to escape from her life for a little while.

The half-lit room and warmth calmed her. The musty smell of old wood combined with the aroma of liquor helped her to relax. Many hours and drinks later, she was more than a little drunk, but not anywhere near quitting. She slammed some more money on the bar and asked for another round.

She turned slightly when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Haruka, it's time to go…"

Haruka smiled slightly at the sound of Tachi's voice. "Ah, Tachi… sit down and have a drink. Don't be so stiff…"

"I don't think so, Haruka. I think you've had enough."

Haruka laughed and nodded. "I guess you're right. But man, for someone who's always prodding me to have fun, you sure are the party crasher…" She paused suddenly. "You know, yesterday was my birthday."

Tachi sighed. "Happy birthday."

Haruka shook her head as if to clear it. "Some birthday…"

She stood up from her stool, surprisingly graceful considering the amount of liquor she'd had. Haruka had always held her alcohol well on Uranus, and their stuff was much stronger than the pansy Moon Kingdom booze. She began to follow Tachi out of the bar.

"Stop it, Jyal! I don't want to!" A feminine voice exclaimed pleadingly.

"Come on, sweetie… I promise you'll like it…" A deep, masculine voice goaded.

Haruka stopped when she overheard this exchange and turned towards the corner where a big, black-haired man was forcing his way on top of a light orange-haired girl. She was trying to push him off of her and her expression made it clear that she did not like this brute, but his sheer weight and size were obviously too much for her to resist.

Haruka watched this scene for a moment, and felt her own anger beginning to rise. Whether it was because she felt sorry for the orange-haired girl, or because it reminded her of her own problems with Michiru, she wasn't sure, it was probably a little of both. The liquor in her system seemed to urge her on, and she stepped towards the guy who had managed to pull the orange-haired girl into an unwilling kiss.

"Hey, asshole!"

The black-haired guy pulled back from the girl and turned. "What the fuck?"

Haruka stood over him, glaring. "I think the lady asked you to stop. I suggest you back off," she said coolly.

The black-haired guy, half angry, half amused, laughed. "And who the fuck are you, to tell me what to do?" The guy was obviously drunk, and slurring his words badly.

"I believe I'm the one who just told you to back off," Haruka repeated.

The black-haired man blinked, and his face began to turn red. "Fuck you!" He stood up quickly and aimed a clumsy punch in her direction, which she easily avoided.

"I don't want to fight a man with such an extensive vocabulary," Haruka said calmly. "But don't push it- if you continue," her eyes narrowed angrily and her tone turned deadly, "I will kick your sorry ass."

The black-haired man laughed again and stepped away from his table and the orange-haired girl, who cowered in her seat, unsure of the whole situation. Haruka felt sorry for her as she eyed her opponent, who was moving into a fighting stance, carefully. He was an easy win.

The people in the bar backed away, giving them a sort-of circle to fight in, and two more guys, slightly smaller but just as burly as the black-haired guy, stepped forward. One of them was in a red shirt, and the other was brandishing a small dagger.

Haruka nearly laughed with amusement. Even with the two extra fighters, Haruka was sure of her easy win. The guy with the dagger advanced on her and swung the blade wildly. Haruka evaded his crazy arcs, and he continued to try and cut her. Finally, he stabbed at her, and she narrowly avoided being sliced. Her eyes began to ice over with anger. Were these guys so bent on fighting her?

The dagger guy stabbed at her again, and this time, she grabbed his forearm with her right hand, and pushed her palm hard into his elbow, breaking his arm at the joint. He cried out in pain and she sent him sprawling into a table, which broke under his weight and shattered, along with the glasses of beer, onto the floor.

This was what she needed.

She barely heard Tachi calling her from somewhere in the crowd, but he was no fighter- he knew better than to get involved. Besides, she needed him to run Uranus. Better he stay out of it.

The guy in the red shirt tried to throw a punch at her, and she glared at him. They sparred for a minute or two, bare-knuckled fighting. He did not manage to land a single blow on Haruka, and instead, got her elbow in his diaphragm. He lost his breath and before he could keel over, she had grabbed him and thrown him over her shoulder and into the bar cabinet, which exploded instantly into shards of broken glass and splashes of various liquors. The guy fell to the floor, groaning, and the cabinet fell on top of him. The crowd was teeming with average civilians who were watching in wide-eyed wonder. Many of them were urging the fight on, chanting and cheering and throwing empty bottles into the cleared circle in drunken excitement.

Ignoring the murmuring crowd, Haruka turned once again to the original guy with the black hair. "Alone once again… will you reconsider?"

The black-haired man clenched his fists angrily, gritting his teeth. He pulled out a dagger of his own and charged her, and Haruka, unprepared for the sudden attack, could not avoid the blade giving her a cut above her eyebrow.

"YOU _FOOL_!" she shouted angrily, dropping to her knee and pulling a Uranian military knife out of her boot in one fluid motion. She sprang forward, almost cat-like, and cut the guy's Achilles heel.

In a spurt of blood and a chorus of screams, the guy fell to the floor, his weight instantly unsupported by his severed tendon. Haruka, her fist cocked with the knife still clutched in her hand, began to advance on him, but Tachi dashed forward, locked his arms around her, and pulled her back.

"NO, Haruka. Enough," he said angrily. "This isn't like you."

The crowd dispersed, several people rushing forward to assist the injured man, who was now crying and screaming even louder.

"You fucking fucker!" he cried, tears streaming down his flushed face. "You mother fucking fucker!! Aaagh…!!"

Haruka shrugged Tachi's grip off her shoulders and she stood up straight, glaring down at the wailing, writhing guy somewhat emotionlessly. His blood was covering the floor. People were staring at her, the bartender on the phone for emergency medical assistance.

She gingerly reached up and wiped some blood that had spurted from his wound off the side of her chin.

Tachi had moved to fix the situation- after all, it was what he was good at: damage control and repair. He initiated a conversation with the bartender once he finished his emergency call, and Haruka only caught parts of the conversation. It seemed to her that Tachi was offering to pay for the damage.

Haruka shook her head and began to exit the bar, when her arm was caught gently. She turned and came face to face with the orange-haired girl she had saved. The girl gazed deep into her teal eyes, making her uncomfortable, and smiled. "I don't know how I could ever thank you…" she began softly, and Haruka noticed that she had a slight Venutian accent.

Haruka returned her smile, somewhat bitterly, and replied, "No need." She glanced back at the guy, still wailing and writhing. "Be careful."

The orange-haired girl nodded sadly, and Haruka exited the tavern without a backward glance, disappearing into the snowy night.

She made her way back to the palace with little difficulty. The adrenaline that was pumping in her from her brawl at the tavern made her thoughts fly in her head, and by the time she reached her quarters, she had a pounding headache. Quietly and carefully, she opened the door to her room and slipped inside to the comforting darkness. She closed the door behind her and breathed a sigh of relief.

"So."

Haruka nearly jumped a foot in the air as Michiru's angry voice entered her surprised ears.

She turned. "Gods, Michiru!" she breathed. The aqua-haired Princess of Neptune was sitting on her bed, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed angrily.

"Surprised to see me?"

Haruka sighed, defeated. "At this hour… obviously. What are you doing here?"

Michiru stood up and moved a little closer. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" At Haruka's blank stare, Michiru continued. "It is nearly 4am. You do know our powers are connected, right?"

"Of course, but--"

"So your emotional turmoil has been affecting me as well. I've been in a continued state of distress for the past week, and why don't you add to that the fact that you're out until all hours of the night beating the crap out of people, and drinking, judging by the reeking stench of your clothes."

Haruka began to get angry. "And who said I had to answer to you, Michiru?" She asked furiously. "When I agreed to senshi duty I wasn't aware that I was signing a contract that stated that I had to worry about your problems, so why should you worry about mine?"

"Well perhaps, though it is quite a far fetch for your character, Haruka, you might think about being a little more considerate to those close to you, especially your partner," Michiru snapped. "Knowing our powers are linked to one another, you should have thought of the consequences of your actions. Our powers being linked is a safety mechanism because we are a team. We have to be able to know when the other is in danger. Would you change that?"

"You're one to talk of consideration, Michiru," the blonde said in a low tone, her anger barely contained. "You know I've just lost someone close to me."

Michiru glared. "And do you think he would be proud of you, now? Do you think Kayle would be happy, knowing you're drinking yourself into a stupor at some tavern?" Michiru shook her head. "Open your eyes, Haruka! The rest of us are still alive!"

Haruka felt as if she'd been slapped, but she knew Michiru was right. Her hands balled into fists and she felt like she could punch her partner. The alcohol in her system only fueled her rage and blurred her thoughts. Her head was still pounding and the arguing wasn't helping it.

Michiru caught sight of Haruka's balled fists and laughed bitterly. "Still want to fight? Want to hit me? You're hopeless." She shook her head and began to turn away, tears lining her eyes. "I thought you would snap out of it, eventually, Haruka. But you're only sinking further. I can't bring you back, and I don't know what to do. Maybe all of Kayle's teachings were useless to you, after all."

Haruka felt like Michiru had crossed some line. Without warning she moved to hit Michiru with her fist, knowing in the back of her mind that Michiru's reflexes were faster than hers, and more so especially, since she, herself, was in no state to be fighting a senshi, especially one who was her equal.

Sensing the sudden attack, Michiru nimbly avoided being hit with Haruka's fist, which instead hit the doorframe and stunned her momentarily. Michiru countered with a sweep to Haruka's legs, which left her landing sprawled on her back on the floor.

"So," Michiru started, all trace of tears and emotion gone from her eyes. "This is how you want it. Fine."

Within seconds her aqua henshin stick was in her hand and Haruka rolled into a crouch a few feet away, summoning her navy henshin stick as well.

Just as both were about to transform, there came an urgent knock at the door. Their eyes met and they shared an unspoken truce. Duty came first. Michiru, who was closer to the door, answered it, beholding a slightly disheveled Queen of the Moon.

"Queen Serenity?" Michiru asked, quite appalled.

"Michiru," The Queen stated, equally surprised to see her in Haruka's room. "Haruka," she acknowledged carefully, catching her eyes from across the room. She wisely decided not to question Haruka's stable attire. She spied the henshin sticks in each of their hands and raised an eyebrow. "I see you have sensed the danger?"

"Danger?" Haruka questioned dumbly, her blood rushing from the incident with Michiru, but still under the effects of the booze, and her headache.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I felt… something," Michiru covered. "I came to alert Haruka, and we were about to investigate. I wasn't sure what it was, however…"

The Queen sighed tiredly. She truly looked worn- her eyes had dark circles under them, indicating her lack of sleep over the stress of the coming events. Her silver eyes held a severe look of distraught, and her clothes, normally kept in perfect order, looked slightly tousled, the silver strands of her hair quite messy.

"I'm afraid there's been an all-out assault by the Dark Kingdom on one of Saturn's outermost moons," she said wearily.

"We're on it immediately, Your Highness."

----------

Ooo, intense. Another battle? Hm... ;)

As always, I print out everyone's reviews and keep them under my pillow, and kiss them three times each night before I go to sleep.

Wow. Totally kidding. ;)

See ya next time. :D


	8. Exposed

It's that time again... time for another update... haha.

Again, there is more violence in this one, but it's been pretty tame, right? Nothing too serious? Nothing that'll give you nightmares, anyways. ;)

So, Takeuchi still hasn't called. I've pretty much given up on ever gaining the rights to Sailor Moon. :'(

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Joining up with the rest of the Sailor Team, once united, they performed a Sailor Teleport to the Satian moon. The Inner Senshi had just recently learned of the new power and the art of performing Sailor Teleports. It was scheduled for a later time in their training, but was moved up due to the delay of their arrival during the last battle on Uranus- a delay they could not afford to have again.

Once they arrived on Ymir, a fairly good-sized moon orbiting the planet Saturn, they found that King Saturn's troops, along with the King himself, were engaged in combat with the Dark Kingdom. Ymir was the farthest out from Saturn, but held the largest of their weapon-bases. It was rich in natural minerals needed for interplanetary trade, among other things. Most importantly, it was in a strategic location.

These new daimons were of a different breed than the ones they had fought on Uranus. They were slower, but tougher, and more grotesque, with sharper features and disproportioned bodies.

"Truly a nightmare," King Saturn huffed as he approached the newly-arrived senshi team. "We've no time to spare." With that, he returned to the melee.

"This is Saturn," Mars commented quietly. "Why isn't Hotaru here? Her training on battle combat has been completed."

"The King requested she stay put, regardless of that factor," Mercury replied.

"Could you imagine your daughter on the same battlefield as you?" Venus wondered out loud.

Nobody answered, but somehow their eyes fell upon Sailor Moon.

The senshi followed King Saturn's earlier command and wasted no time in helping the Satian ground forces combat their deadly opponents.

Also new to this battle were humanoid Dark Kingdom officials, much like the scout Uranus and Neptune had discovered earlier in the year, that acted as lieutenants, commanding small groups of daimons and providing direction in the form of hand gestures and shouts. They were quite skilled and faster than their daimon underlings, and seemed to possess some sort of power similar to the senshi's planetary powers, although it felt somehow wrong. After scanning it with her supercomputer, Mercury confirmed that it was dark energy, its source unknown, but seemingly unlimited.

Uranus found herself fighting next to the blonde-haired, sturdy king of Saturn, and several other tall, thin warriors dressed in dark, royal purple coats with silver armor. They were not unlike her Uranian fighters from home, but perhaps not as tall, and definitely not as fast. But despite combat not being their main focus, as with her fighters, she found herself impressed with the effectiveness of their fighting technique.

However impressed she was, though, did not make up for the loss of so many of her fighters from home. She broke away from the front lines and pushed forward, her speed being the key factor in her defeat of so many daimons.

Within minutes she spotted a transport bearing the royal symbol of Neptune on it. It streaked quickly across the blue-hazed sky and landed quite gracefully on the ground in a cloud of rocks kicked up from the whirling air. The hatch blew open, and charging loudly down the ramp came a cavalry of reinforcements wearing dark aqua uniforms and bearing Neptunian armor.

Quite surprised, the senshi wondered at this random supply of help from the planet Neptune.

"Hah! Perhaps the old ironhead has finally realized that if we lose this battle, it will only be a matter of time before his planet is next!" King Saturn laughed. Because of the speed and orbital plane, Neptune and Saturn were closer in orbit than they had been in a few thousand years.

Neptune blasted a daimon with her mirror. "My father," she exclaimed over the roar of battle to the other senshi. "Couldn't come to help us himself. Consider that his gift basket. At least his timing is good."

With the arrival of the small band of Neptunian warriors, Saturn's forces began to advance, gaining ground over the Dark Kingdom's daimons.

Uranus was lost in her own private world. She knew and saw nothing but a daimon's face before she hacked it down with her talisman. Revenge, now, was more important to her than victory, more important than life. Her only thought was to take as many of the daimons out with her.

Kayle's death would not go unavenged, she would swear it.

Neptune saw her partner plunge into the thick of the battle, once again outnumbered but seemingly holding her own this time since there was no energy-draining offense as there had been on the blonde's home planet. Still, she did not like being separated, and it seemed to her that Uranus was almost trying to die.

No, not trying to die. Determined.

Neptune began to fight her way over to her partner.

Uranus smiled as she tore through daimons again and again. It was almost a maniacal grin, but she knew she was sane- she could feel pain, she knew she was not invincible, she knew her time was coming.

'This battle is ours,' she thought. 'They won't need me, anyways…' She cut down another daimon. 'Neptune said I was hopeless… well, here's one less senshi for her to worry about.'

"Stand aside," a male voice commanded, and instantly the daimons surrounding Uranus parted to reveal a tall man with short, dark brown hair, and dressed in the gray and blue Dark Kingdom uniform. He unsheathed a pair of twin short swords, each about a foot and a half long.

"So, the senshi of Uranus thinks she can go head-to-head with the Dark Kingdom," he chuckled. "If you want to die so badly, I'm sure I can arrange to make your wish come true."

Uranus laughed boldly. "I'd like to see you try, filth," she spat. "Anything you can dish out, I'm prepared for."

"HA HA HA," he roared. "We'll see about that. HYAHH!" He leapt forward suddenly, his swords cocked and ready, but Uranus was too fast.

She could have easily evaded him with her superior speed, but instead, she brashly met him head-on, her sword making a loud CLANG as it connected with his two.

They fought gruelingly, neither of them putting forth any kind of sportsmanship. The brown-haired Dark Kingdom lieutenant was not trained in the art, and Uranus could care less at that point.

After a particularly jarring connection, the brown-haired man broke away, pulling back to quickly fire a blast of dark energy in Uranus's direction. The blonde dodged and returned a blast of her own golden planetary powers, and their swords once again met between them, Uranus's free hand alternating between planetary energy blasts and reinforcing her sword.

Finally, Uranus landed a somewhat fatal cut to the lieutenant- a spurt of red blood mixed with a slight neon green-colored fluid came from his chest. He staggered back in disbelief.

"How can this be?!" he demanded. Angrily, he gestured the earlier diamons to attack, which they did so eagerly.

Uranus was prepared for the daimons, but not for the coming blast of dark energy from the lieutenant's direction. She dodged and it hit the ground at her feet, but exploded into a spray of small embers, one of them touching her bare leg. Instantly she felt pain shoot through her entire body, becoming most intense at the sight of her previous shoulder wound.

"It was too much to hope that you'd been stabbed before," the lieutenant chuckled, a small trickle of the strange red and neon-green blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "You fought well, but in the end, the Dark Kingdom will always prevail."

Uranus made an effort to fight the agony invading her body from the energy igniting all her nerve-endings. She struggled to her feet, brandishing her sword weakly. "Spare me your Dark Kingdom crap, it's not over yet," she coughed, her muscles shaking uncontrollably. She could barely keep her grip on her sword, her muscles were shaking so badly, the pain so intense.

"It is now," he said solemnly, raising his arm to hit her with another dark energy blast.

"Haruka!"

Just as he released the blast, Uranus felt herself being pushed violently to the ground. She heard a scream of anguish and as she landed hard, realized that Neptune had taken the hit for her and had landed painfully beside her, writhing uncontrollably.

"No!" she cried angrily. "Neptune…"

"Ha…ruka," the aqua-haired girl said through gritted teeth. Her blue eyes squeezed closed and she cried out again.

Uranus, all pain forgotten, slowly got to her feet. "Stop!" she commanded the lieutenant. She raised her sword threateningly. The lieutenant shrugged, indifferent.

"She shouldn't have gotten in the way," he said hoarsely.

"You're right," she said dangerously. "But now there's nothing in the way to stop me from killing you."

With one deft moment, she ran her sword through his chest, putting an end to him. She watched in satisfaction as he slid off of her talisman and fell to the ground, his body crumbling into the same black powder she had seen before, which melted into the puddle of green ooze, burning into the ground.

Quickly, the blonde turned to her fallen partner, who seemed to be recovering slowly. With the lieutenant dead, the dark energy's effects had begun to wear off, and Neptune tried to sit painfully up.

Uranus slid to her knees beside Neptune, taking the aqua-haired girl in her arms. "Neptune?"

Neptune lifted her head, her deep ocean blue eyes meeting Uranus's teal ones. She smiled weakly. "I'm okay," she said.

Uranus breathed a sigh of relief and quickly scanned Neptune's body for any sign of injury. She frowned and furrowed her eyebrows when she noticed a series of deep gashes running down Neptune's right side, arm, and thigh. She was not bleeding too severely, but she was, indeed, bleeding.

"You're wounded," Uranus stated, slightly down. "Why did you do it?" she demanded. "Why did you push me out of the way and take the hit for me? You could have been killed, or permanently injured."

"I-" Neptune turned away. "I care about you, Haruka."

"I care about you, too, Michiru, but…"

"No. I care about you… as more than a partner. More than a friend. I--" she cringed, her body shaking violently as the final effects of the dark energy began to wear off.

Uranus held her comfortingly, tenderly. Though a little taken aback by Neptune's confession, she did not have time to think about that now. She looked up and noticed that though there were still a few daimons here and there that were still fighting, most had dissolved, been cut down, or fled. The ground troops of Saturn were regrouping to conduct a clean-up and a further lunar scan, and the Neptunian cavalry had already gathered to assist them. Uranus noticed that while there were a number of Satian warriors lifelessly littering Ymir, there was not a single Neptunian warrior among them.

The senshi were approaching her.

"We have to get her back," Sailor Moon said as she noticed Neptune slipping into unconsciousness.

Uranus nodded and lifted Neptune in her arms.

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Wow- that's it? I'm sorry this chapter was so short. The next one is short, too, but after that they may or may not get longer. I dunno. I just wanted to break it up nicely. :)

So, with that being said- see ya next time. :D


	9. Growth

Okay, okay. Since chapter 8 was so short, and chapter 9 is so short, I decided to go ahead and post it.

Don't say I never gave you anything. ;)

You can repay me by giving me the rights to Sailor Moon. Cuz right now, I don't have them. Darn.

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The days leading up to Michiru's recovery were slow. Like Haruka, she healed fast due to her senshi capabilities, but she had many gashes that needed tending to. Since the majority of the gashes had been given in the direction of her back, she spent her days lying on her stomach to give them time to heal. The paper hospital gown she'd been given was not a sufficient outfit to spend any length of time in, according to her, and as soon as possible she had instructed Ami to fetch her a pair of shorts and a lightweight undershirt.

Michiru felt more comfortable moving around and getting out of bed to use the bathroom in those clothes, and since she was confined to her hospital room, she felt comfort was a necessity.

She and Haruka had come to terms somewhat- she had gotten Haruka to apologize, which was all she'd really wanted to begin with. Now their friendship was there, but with it came something else- the knowledge that Michiru's feelings were now out in the open.

The aqua-haired girl tried her best to ignore that fact, and move on as if she had never mentioned it, but she couldn't deny that Haruka looked at her differently. There was a distinctive change, but Michiru could not quite figure out whether it was positive or negative. Reading her partner was something that she was quite skilled at. Truthfully, she did it better than anyone, including Tachi. But she wasn't sure she could trust herself not to make assumptions based off of her emotional hopes, and so she left it up to Haruka to take the initiative.

The blonde was in a constant state of tension. She had recognized the spark between them even before they had been introduced, from the moment she first laid eyes on the aqua-haired princess her first day on the Moon. However, now the spark had matured into a bonfire, to say the least, and it was a lot harder to deny its existence. She spent the days during Michiru's recovery with her partner. She made sure that she had everything she needed and that there was nothing she could get for her.

After all, it was the least she could do considering Michiru had taken the hit that was meant for her. She had started out with the intention of doing it because she felt obligated out of guilt, and because it was the right thing to do, but as the days passed, she found it was more out of a deep caring for the sensitive artist.

They spent many long nights immersed in deep conversations. Haruka was more apt to open up, and as the days passed, she felt the weight of Kayle's death slowly lifting, the pain not as burdensome as it had been before. Part of the reason it had been so hard to begin with was because Kayle had been all she'd had left… someone who cared about her equally in return, and then she had lost him. But now, she realized, Michiru offered that same care, perhaps more, and had from the start. She had just been too stubborn to see it.

"Stupid," Haruka muttered to herself as she reached Michiru's hospital door. She knocked lightly, heard Michiru's light response, and entered the room.

Her mouth went dry.

Michiru was lying on her stomach, flipping through a magazine, wearing nothing but those short, skintight cloth shorts and a thin undershirt. The artist casually looked back over her shoulder and her aqua hair cascaded over the bare skin of her shoulders. The blonde swallowed at the sight of Michiru's firm, round behind in such scant shorts.

Michiru smiled. "Haruka," she greeted. She frowned when she noticed the blonde's lack of a response, and suddenly caught the direction of her gaze. She began to blush furiously.

Haruka suddenly noticed Michiru's blush and realized that Michiru had caught her staring, which elicited a small blush from the blonde as well. She cleared her throat distractedly.

"Erm… I just forgot… something," she stammered nervously, and hastily left the room.

Outside in the hall, Haruka mentally smacked herself. 'Stupid!' she chided. 'Now she thinks you're a pervert.'

She sighed and began to wander aimlessly around the hospital wing, looking for time to kill. She definitely did not want to face Michiru anytime soon.

The next day, Michiru was released from the hospital wing and allowed to return to her quarters. Haruka assisted in gathering her few belongings that she had relocated during her recovery and moving them back to her room.

As she entered, Haruka realized it was the first time she had ever been to Michiru's room. It was incredibly tidy and kempt, and everything, down to her assortment of different make-ups, was organized.

She set down the armful of undead flowers that Michiru had insisted on taking on her desk. Most of them were past the healthy stage, but a few of them were still good. She glanced around the room, taking in the color, the slight scent of vanilla, and the various small objects and figurines that decorated the desk and dresser. Most of them were Neptunian in design but some of them had traces of Mercurian, even Venutian motif.

"It's good to be back," Michiru sighed. "That hospital wing was unmanageable."

Haruka gave her a wry smile. "I found it quite comfortable."

Michiru rolled her eyes. "As always, our planets offer different standards when it comes to those types of things."

"Always," Haruka laughed. Her expression turned suddenly serious as she felt Michiru wrap her arms around her.

"Thank you for taking such good care of me," the Neptunian princess breathed. Haruka swallowed as she felt the lithe body press close, her every curve seemingly melting into her. It was not an unchaste hug, but Haruka's enflamed senses could only breathe in the scent and feel of Michiru pressed against her. Had they ever hugged before? Haruka could not remember ever feeling the rush of blood and excitement she felt at that moment.

In a mere instance, Michiru had pulled away again and Haruka stood there, nearly speechless, but feeling somewhat troubled over the sudden lack of the aqua-haired girl's warmth.

"It was nothing," the blonde managed to choke out at last, hoping that her words sounded somewhat normal.

Michiru only smiled at her.

As more days passed and Michiru was fully assimilated back into training and Haruka's day-to-day life, both of the senshi found it difficult to concentrate on anything but each other. They went about their daily routines, but always in the back of their minds was their partner.

Since the accident, they had become better friends and partners in training. They were on an understood level with each other, and were more easily able to communicate….

…in most things. When it came to talking about their growing attraction, neither of them wanted to bring it up, and sometimes in the most peculiar situations, they were found speechless in each other's presence. It was an odd double-standard that did not go unnoticed by the rest of the senshi.

Truthfully, Haruka felt as though she could not take her eyes off her partner whenever she was around. Her stunning beauty and her gracefulness coupled with the fact that she knew her inside out were all factors in her intense desire for the Neptunian princess.

Michiru, too, was finding it harder to deny her increasing lust. In every movement or gesture by Haruka, Michiru found beauty. Whenever the blonde touched her, either through training, or in harmless, small, daily interactions, she felt as though her skin were on fire. Many times she found the blonde staring at her intensely from across the room, and when their gazes met it was almost like an electric current had formed, so powerful that neither could hold the gaze for long.

Within a week after her total recovery outside the hospital wing, Michiru received a letter from her father.

"It's to inform me that a party is being held in my honor," she had told Haruka as they were sparring. She had meant to bring it up casually, and sparring was a good time to discuss casual things in her mind. "It's taking place next week."

"So? Go," Haruka had said as she threw a punch towards Michiru's right shoulder. Michiru evaded and blocked another blow from the blonde. The artist was quiet for a few moments and returned to the task at hand, but Haruka sensed she wasn't finished and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I was hoping you would come with me," the artist said finally.

Haruka stopped for a moment. "Go with you? To Neptune?"

"Yes," Michiru said carefully. "After all, you are my best friend, and it's supposed to be my birthday party…"

Haruka considered, relaxing her fighting stance. She wrinkled her face. "I guess so…"

Michiru grinned and without warning, tripped the blonde, who landed hard on her back. Michiru beamed down at her. "Great."

Haruka only stared in disbelief. "I've never been to Neptune."

Michiru's grin only widened. "Then this should be a unique experience for you."

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See? Told ya it was short. Don't worry, the next one will be the longest one yet. Get ready for it! It's a doozy. ;)

lol. See ya next time, pals. :D


	10. A Visit to Neptune

Hey, peeps. :D

All your reviews have been awesome, so as a reward (or punishment, I guess, haha) you get this excruciatingly long chapter. ;)

I will try and work on the story some more, but I dunno when I will have the chance to write with finals and the holidays and all that jazz. -breaks out in music and dancing-

Oh. Yeah. Sorry. :X

But don't worry, I will try and get in one more chappie before Xmas. :)

As always, Sailor Moon does not belong to me (but if anyone wants to get me a great Xmas present, feel free...)

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Within a few days the two Outer senshi were packed and ready to depart for the planet Neptune. The Queen had given them a two day leave to attend the party, and after being mostly certain that nothing would happen while they were away, the duo began their travel. The transport ride was long and tedious, but they found many things to talk about, and slept in their own bunks the rest of the time.

Upon landing on Neptune, Haruka was extremely nervous about meeting Michiru's father again, but as they stepped outside, none of the Neptunian royalty were anywhere to be found. Instead, a dozen Royal Guards were waiting, all heavily armed.

"It's a safety hazard," Michiru had explained as they supervised the gathering up of their luggage, and Michiru began to guide Haruka in the direction of the palace. "Father doesn't like to put himself out in the open, and meeting me at the transport station would compromise that. He has many political enemies, after all…"

Haruka barely stifled a sneer. Given his friendly personality, of course he did! But she decided to be a little respectful.

As they walked, escorted, Haruka could not ever recall visiting Michiru's planet before, despite the trip her mother had taken her on when she was little. The Neptunian environment was unlike anything she had ever witnessed. Most of the planet was covered in oceans, of course, and with the majority of the planet being water-based, the atmosphere was hazy, misty, and impossible to be in for very long.

"None of us actually live outside," Michiru explained as she noticed Haruka's thoughtful expression. "In fact, the majority of us have residences under the water, in the gigantic reefs."

"Underwater?" Haruka questioned. "How?"

"Through adaptation, of course," the aqua-haired girl laughed. "The history is quite fascinating, if you care to hear." At Haruka's nod, she continued. "My people, when we lived on the small continent, found it impossible to do so, as you may have noticed from your short experience so far. Over time they ventured from their crude protective dwellings into the comfort of the trusted oceans, as they were obviously a water-based civilization to begin with." She paused to gesture to the ocean in the distance, even though they could barely see it as they walked. "After exploring, they found that the reefs held large cavities in them that were able to be inhabited. The humidity was not bad there, and so they relocated." She smiled as Haruka looked around in amazement, seeing Neptune in a different light.

"Through technology, we have obviously improved the condition of the cavities, making them more liveable, reinforcing them so that cave-ins would not occur, and developing transports to other aquatic cities, since this continent we stand on is the largest."

"So is the palace underwater as well?" Haruka asked.

"The palace is one of the few structures not entirely underwater. There is a ground level entry. The rest, you can see for yourself. We're almost there."

As they approached, Haruka was indeed surprised by the sight of the royal structure. The palace of Neptune was a sight to behold, rivaling, even, the splendor of the Moon Kingdom. It was made of crystalline spires that seemed to almost touch the sky, and held an intense shiny quality that Michiru explained reflected the small amount of light from the sun into the surrounding oceans, warming them and regulating temperatures throughout the year.

"Being so far away from the sun, we don't get much light," Michiru had clarified. "The palace was built centuries ago, but newly renovated by my father to make the most of the scant sunlight we receive."

"I can't believe I've never been here," Haruka mused, "Or even heard of this place."

"I can," Michiru sighed. "Our planets don't exactly get along… it seems there was a dispute between our fathers many years ago, before either of us was born."

"Strange… but it makes sense," the blonde pondered. "What was the fight over?"

The aqua-haired girl shrugged. "Nobody ever discusses it. It's somewhat of a forbidden topic."

"Hm. I wonder why no one ever told _me_ about the feud. I would have done more to try and fix it."

Michiru sighed again. "From what I understand, your father tried… however, it's not so easy to convince my father of such things…"

Haruka swallowed. If her own father tried and failed, what chance did she have of ever being successful in winning King Neptune's good graces?

They reached the palace and were greeted at the entrance by Michiru's mother, who Haruka was finally introduced to.

"Queen Despina," Haruka bowed respectfully.

"Ah, Tenoh, quite an honor to finally meet you," the Queen said with a smile. Haruka was about to mention that they had met before, although not formally, but decided against it. The queen seemed much more at ease without the king around.

Michiru smiled. "I was going to escort Tenoh to her chambers," she said, once again reverting to Haruka's formal name.

"Very good, dear. Your father is overseeing some business on the west shore, but he will be back tomorrow for your ball," the queen mentioned.

"Of course," Michiru smiled, and the queen waved her hand gently, dismissing them. As they entered the palace, Haruka noticed that they immediately began descending stairs, lower and lower, until she felt like she was beneath the continent. The misty, vapid atmosphere had disappeared, as Michiru had promised, and she found the temperature quite comfortable, and the air clean and crisp.She couldn't remember a time when breathing felt so wonderful.

Once at the base level of the palace a few stories underground, Michiru led Haruka through the long, maze-like corridors, and Haruka recalled that Geole had been right in his (though she had thought it absurd), observation of Neptune's guarding force- every few feet there was a guard stationed, each heavily armed and silently motionless.

"Here we are," Michiru said at last. She gently pushed open the door, since there were no doorknobs, and Haruka followed her inside. "Well?" she asked nervously, afraid Haruka wouldn't like it.

"It's great," Haruka said, letting out her breath. Indeed, 'great' was an understatement- the room consisted of a huge bed as the focal point, and surrounding it were two small nightstands, a good-sized dresser, a desk, and on the far wall, what looked like a balcony. All of the furniture was made out of some form of coral, with gold accents. The entire back wall was solid glass, and on the other side, nothing but water, with various fish in colors and shapes she had never seen before.

"Is that… the ocean?" Haruka asked, nearly breathless.

Michiru giggled. "Not quite. That's just a small aquarium. The ocean is still a few floors lower."

"It's beautiful," Haruka breathed.

Her eyes never leaving Haruka's tall frame, Michiru replied, "Yes, it is."

Michiru left Haruka to unpack, promising to come and get her for dinner, and made her way to her own familiar quarters, on the other side of the palace. Her father did not allow guest rooms in the same vicinity as the royal family, even if the guests were royal themselves. He was a very paranoid man who took no risks with his family's safety, or his own.

Dinner was uneventful, just an average supper that both senshi, coming from families of wealth and having resided on the Moon Kingdom, were accustomed to, although the flavors and entrees were new to Haruka, produced from marine animals she had never knew existed.

After dinner, Michiru took Haruka on somewhat of a tour. "I know we don't have much of an exterior," she began, "But we make up for it in our interior." Michiru showed Haruka the many chambers of the palace that were so vast, it felt as though they were outside. The ceiling mimicked the pattern of the stars, and some vegetation was strategically placed to give the appearance of being outdoors, hiding the walls. Grass of a pinkish tint was underfoot, and flowing water was the focal point of the chamber. "This is one of the many water gardens we have," Michiru explained. She looked up at Haruka. "It's my favorite."

Haruka smiled. "I see why. It's amazing. I never even thought things like this could exist."

Michiru nodded. "There's more I want to show you. But it's getting late, and the ball is tomorrow evening."

"I understand," the blonde smiled. "I'll head back to my room."

"Are you sure you can find it?" Michiru teased.

"I'll be all right." Haruka reached for Michiru's hand and brought it to her lips, kissing it softly. She looked into Michiru's ocean blue eyes. "Thank you."

Michiru felt her knees weaken slightly and smiled to hide her blush. "The pleasure was all mine. Sleep well."

"You, also."

Watching the blonde go, Michiru stood in the water garden for a few more moments, pondering her situation. She was sure, now, that she was in love.

-------

Although she had brought formal attire, Haruka was nervous about seeing King Neptune again. She hoped she wouldn't be as intimidated this time around. She knew that all the people at the ball would be cronies of the Neptunian Royal Family, and she wanted to make a good impression, regardless of past interactions with the king.

The morning of the ball they had breakfast together, alone. Queen Despina was overseeing the preparations of the ball, and Michiru's father was still away on business. After breakfast, Michiru showed Haruka a few of the other water gardens before she left for her private chambers to prepare. Haruka returned to her room as well and spent some time gazing at the aquarium watching the fish swim by.

Showered and dressed in her Royal Uranian attire, she double-checked her reflection in the mirror one more time. Sighing, she noticed again the invincible cowlick that always seemed to thwart her plans of having manageable hair. It seemed she was always frowning at it's presence, but there was nothing she could do about it, short of hacking it off and leaving the spot even more disheveled. She finally shook herself out of the thought and began to work her way to the ballroom Michiru had given her directions to.

Striding quickly down the dimly glowing corridors, she found the ballroom easily and entered, surprised to see that there were stairs leading down even further.

As she stepped down the grand staircase, she noticed that the majority of the walls of the ballroom were solid glass, and the surrounding oceans were visible through them, as well as the integrated sea life. It gave the appearance of being underwater, more so than the aquarium in her room, and in fact, they were! Fish swam lazily by, going about their normal routines, and Haruka was amazed at the very idea of being in a structure underwater.

Upbeat, wordless music came from a live band of string instruments, and as Haruka reached the bottom, her eyes scanning for the Neptunian princess, she noticed that many couples were dancing gaily in circles, the maidens twirling in their colorful dresses. She spotted Geole conversing with the Queen of Neptune at one side of the crowd, both of them laughing and sipping a glass of purple-hued wine.

"How nice of you to join us," a teasing female voice called from behind her right shoulder.

Haruka smiled as she recognized Michiru's smooth tone. She turned slightly and, with great difficulty, resisted the urge to gasp. Michiru was dressed in a sleek dark aqua dress that accented her blue eyes perfectly. The dress was sleeveless and reached her ankles, where she wore shoes not unlike those of her counterpart, Sailor Neptune. The heels gave her an added few inches of height. Her hair was up, with only a few strands framing her face, exposing the creamy pale skin of her neck.

"Kaioh," Haruka started formally, trying to keep her voice steady. "You look… amazing." She couldn't even be angry with herself for not coming up with a more appropriate word, or for sounding so stupid, but she couldn't help it- the princess of Neptune was truly breathtaking.

Michiru nearly had to bite her lip as she took in the sight of the handsome blonde dressed in the Uranian royal uniform. "So do you," she returned lightly. Black pants with a plain gold stripe up the sides of the legs, black boots and a black coat accented with gold trim, gold buttons, and a gold collar caught everyone in the ballroom's eye. Usually there would have been a golden strap around her waist connecting her sword to her belt, but Haruka felt it would cause more harm than good. The uniform was well-known across the solar system, but especially in the outer planets, and it marked Haruka as the Uranian senshi. Michiru's eyes did a thorough sweep of Haruka's frame and came to focus on her intense teal eyes. She moved closer to the blonde, her words barely audible, her eyes shining playfully. "Would you care to dance?"

------------

Haruka was tenser than she'd ever been in her life. She was an expert dancer- it was required as part of the royalty position. She didn't even have to concentrate on the steps or which way to go, and she was accustomed to leading, as well. She had danced with many beautiful girls, at many different balls, many times. But having Michiru in her arms as they circled the floor was an entirely different situation. They had danced through several songs already, and after each one she felt increasingly more intoxicated from the proximity of the aqua-haired girl. All she could breathe was her scent, a mixture of vanilla and the ocean. The gentle pressure of Michiru's hand in hers was exhilarating, and with every twirl it seemed as though Michiru's body pressed even closer.

Michiru, too, felt almost dizzy, lost in the feel of Haruka's close proximity and the smell of her cologne. She was acutely aware of the blonde's hand on her waist, holding her gently but firmly, and she felt lost in her own world, the rest of the ballroom and dancers forgotten. She gazed into Haruka's deep teal eyes and smiled.

Haruka almost felt her knees weaken at Michiru's dazzling, bright smile. She was still tense, still on her guard at having the artist so achingly close. She caught her breath and held it as she felt Michiru's lips brushing against her ear. "You're too tense… relax," she breathed, but even in heels Michiru was much shorter than her partner, and in an effort to reach Haruka's ear, her body had unknowingly pressed fully against the tall blonde.

Haruka swallowed, letting her breath out slowly. '_Relax… sure_.'

The lights began to dim as the band played another, slower song, and Michiru pulled away slightly, but kept her grip on Haruka's hand. "I know something that will make you relax," she said softly with a mysterious smile. "Come with me."

Haruka raised an eyebrow in question, but Michiru began to lead her off of the floor, slipping carefully through the crowd of people moving on and off the dance floor as well. Michiru gently led her around beneath the grand staircase to a door that she pushed open gently, and she pulled her inside and shut it.

"You're escaping from your own party?" Haruka asked in a low, amused voice.

Michiru shrugged with a devious grin. "Just for a little while." At Haruka's look she added, "Oh, please. They won't even know I'm gone."

"If you say so," Haruka said, but was once again being tugged along by Michiru as she led her down the quiet passage.

They had to avoid several guards along the way who were patrolling the halls- the last thing Michiru wanted was to be spotted away from her own party. Finally, though, they reached their destination and Michiru put her hands over Haruka's eyes as she led her into a room.

Haruka sighed annoyingly, but she knew that Michiru could tell she was faking, and she had a smile on her face.

"Are you ready?" the aqua-haired girl asked in an excited whisper next to the blonde's ear.

Haruka nodded and Michiru pulled her hands away.

Haruka was momentarily speechless as she took in the complete view.

"This is the best view in the palace," she said quietly. They were standing in a vast, open room, in front of an immense wall, made of solid glass, like much of the Neptunian palace, and giving a view of the ocean. However, the wall was enormous, and Michiru whispered that it was so tall it reached ground level, and continued on below the floor they were standing on. Truthfully, the floor ended several feet from the wall, and upon investigating, Haruka looked over the railing and traced the wall downwards as far as her eyes could see.

"This is the wall that protects the palace from the crushing force of the ocean," Michiru explained, still in a soft whisper that echoed off the walls, despite its low sound. "So we're actually outside of the palace right now." Haruka looked back and noticed that the door they had come out of was where the palace ended. She glanced upwards and saw one more floor several stories up, also with a gap between the wall and the floor.

"It's better if you come at night," Michiru confessed, holding Haruka's arm. The room was barely lit, with only the glow of some ocean critters and the lanterns around the room casting light. "The lanterns go dim at night, and give this a more tranquil, immersed feeling." She moved a little closer. "We are leaving tomorrow…" Slowly, she crept her hand down to grasp Haruka's, letting their slender fingers entwine. Haruka felt her heart skip a beat at the soft, affectionate touch. Michiru looked up at the tall blonde. "I wanted you to see it before you had to go."

"It's wonderful," Haruka said in a low, appreciative voice. She looked into Michiru's eyes. "I've never seen anything so amazing."

Pink stained Michiru's cheeks. "Thank you."

They stood there for a moment, gazing into each other's eyes. Haruka felt like she was drunk, her partner's blue eyes sparkling- whether from the reflection of the glow of the lanterns, or by their own accord, she couldn't discern. She took in every feature of the aqua-haired girl's face; the way her head was tilted upwards to look at her, the way her eyes were penetrating, but in a dreamy, glazed state; the way her shiny, pink lips were slightly parted… Haruka contemplated those full lips. The urge to kiss her was almost overwhelming, and from the look in Michiru's eyes, she could almost attest that the other girl wanted it as badly as she did.

She leaned forward slightly, her bangs brushing Michiru's forehead, her eyes lowered to the other girl's lips, which, she noticed, were barely trembling. Their lips were so close it was almost as if Michiru were breathing into her mouth, and Haruka found her nose come in contact with hers.

She hesitantly began to reach out, to caress the aqua-haired girl. She distantly noticed that Michiru was still holding her hand, and she gently pulled it from her grip, slowly trailing her fingertips up Michiru's bare arm, and feeling the girl practically shake.

Her hand continued across Michiru's shoulder to the base of her neck, where it paused to gently brush some stray strands of her silky aqua hair back. Haruka could feel Michiru's breath coming a bit faster, a bit shakier. Her own heartbeat was hammering madly in her chest, and as her hand finally came to stop on the side of Michiru's face, her fingers gently resting by her ear, she moved to close the last fraction of space between them. She swallowed. This was it.

Before she could follow through with her intentions, however, a loud, indistinguishable cracking noise pulled her out of the moment. She looked up, alarmed, half ready to summon her henshin stick. Michiru's eyes had snapped open as well, though not out of alarm, but rather, surprise.

"What was that?" Haruka asked lowly, clearing her throat, heart now hammering from adrenaline.

Michiru sighed. "That'll be the start of the formal introduction." Seeing Haruka's questioning look, she added, "All the important guests who are gracing my party with their presence," she rolled her eyes as she continued, "will be announced." She shook her head. "Father likes to use some ghastly ancient device to signal the start of it, although heaven only knows why. Perhaps it's his way of staying entertained… It's rather dull."

Haruka nodded slightly. "Perhaps we should get back, then?" She half-hoped Michiru would say no.

Michiru nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. At some point I will have to make some sort of speech." She sighed again, more irritable this time. "We should sneak back, I suppose."

Sneaking back was not as easy as sneaking out, they soon realized. All of the guards were a little more alert and awake after the loud noise signaling the start of the introduction. However, Haruka and Michiru were more than able to evade the guards, but it was still somewhat of an adrenaline high, sneaking around avoiding capture. Haruka found it rather stimulating, and several times they had come close to being discovered- there was little room for hiding in the halls, and it was only by luck that they weren't seen.

Halfway back to the party, they had been forced to duck into a storage closet, of sorts. They were trying to avoid the glamorous halls of the palace and take the less often, hidden routes to the ballroom, but even there, guards were patrolling the corridors.

Upon hearing footsteps approaching behind them, Michiru had pulled Haruka into the small room, and they had both stood, straining to hear, nearly pressed against the door. Haruka had her back to the door; Michiru, facing it with her head sideways against it to listen intently. The footsteps paused momentarily a few feet away from the door, and then continued down the hall, oblivious.

They both let their breath out slowly.

"That was close," Haruka whispered, a sly grin on her face.

Michiru grinned back just as devilishly. She stopped smiling when she realized the situation they were in. She glanced around the small room- it was not cramped, as storage rooms go. In fact, it was very well-organized. This was no surprise to Haruka, having seen how organized Michiru, herself, was.

The aqua-haired beauty, after surveying the dark room, turned back to the blonde. The sliver of light shining in from around the door barely illuminated Haruka's features, but Michiru found the effect breath-taking. In her close proximity, and the exhilarating rush of adrenaline she was feeling at having not been caught, she decided to do something daring.

"Haruka?" she asked in a whisper, and heard the blonde's low, velvety response.

"Yeah?"

She moved forward so that her body was a scant inch from her partner, certain areas of their bodies barely touching from the closeness. The artist again reached for Haruka's hand, her fingers absently stroking the palm, and making the blonde shiver at the sensual touch. She desperately wanted to be closer. She leaned forward to get her mouth closer to the blonde's ear, and whispered, "Thank you for coming with me."

Haruka swallowed. Her self-control was being pushed to the limit, and it seemed to her that Michiru was inviting something to happen between them. The aqua-haired girl was now pressed against her for the third time that night, yet it seemed like the first from the amount of electricity she was feeling from the contact. The heat of Michiru's body was making her own temperature rise, and it was suddenly very hot and quite cramped in the room. "You're welcome," she said after slight hesitation, and noticed with appreciation that her voice remained steady despite the other girl's proximity.

Michiru did not pull back, however, but kept her body close to the blonde's, so that Haruka felt her breath coming faster and shakier with each intake. Michiru was still caressing her palm, and the back of her hand, stroking her fingers sensually, almost teasingly, and Haruka could hardly concentrate on anything else. She knew they were supposed to be heading back to the party but could not bring herself to move.

Michiru shifted slightly, and Haruka held her breath. Now she could almost feel the whole of Michiru's body barely brushing hers. The quiet, tense moments as they regarded each other's nearness only urged their adrenaline rush onwards. Haruka felt the urge to touch Michiru nearly uncontrollable, and she let her breath out shakily, and was hardly surprised when Michiru's face tilted upwards, so that their mouths were within an inch of each other. Haruka couldn't stand it.

"Michiru," she started, her voice low with desire, and it elicited a shiver from her partner. "I can't keep fighting this…"

Haruka heard her response- the barest whisper. A low, seductive, but almost pleading sound.

"Then don't…"

It took two seconds for Haruka's brain to process what the aqua-haired girl had said, but once done, her body took action. Her mouth closed the tiny gap between them, letting their lips meet at last in a passionately desperate kiss. Her arms encircled the smaller girl's waist, pulling her firmly against her, one hand on the small of the girl's back, the other on the side of her face.

Upon contact with Haruka's lips, Michiru felt a small, impulsive moan force its way from the back of her throat. The blonde had kissed her intensely, with so much pent-up emotion and frustration that Michiru had to pull away for a gasp of air.

Seconds later their mouths were back together, fiercely, Michiru aching to be closer. She pushed herself against Haruka, letting her body fully contact the blonde's, and Haruka let out a small, barely audible, strangled sound, which sent a jolt of excitement down the artist's spine.

One of Michiru's hands had found their way to Haruka's coat, and was clutching it fiercely, holding the blonde close. The other hand was tangled in Haruka's hair, trying to pull her into a deeper, harder kiss. Haruka was panting, it was entirely too hot in the closet. Michiru's body was writhing, pressing, pushing her against the wall, pinning her. She tasted, with a sudden jolt, Michiru's smooth, moist tongue, teasing her lips, beckoning her, and it made her knees weak. Michiru's tongue retreated after a brief moment and Haruka moved her tongue into Michiru's willing and eager mouth.

Haruka's hand which had been on Michiru's face only moments before was now caressing her hips, her thigh, and her small, firm behind. Michiru was still trying to be closer and Haruka instinctually pulled at Michiru's thigh so that she lifted it to wrap around Haruka's.

Haruka could now feel Michiru's sex pressed against her, and how much heat was radiating from it. The thought made her stomach do a back flip, and she was once again brought out of the moment by a thunderous noise which sounded like distant applause.

Michiru paused, breathing heavily, her lips still brushing Haruka's. Haruka was about to say something, though she didn't know what. Michiru had a dazed look on her face, almost as if she felt as though she were dreaming. Her fingers played absently with Haruka's hair as she looked up wonderingly into her face. She kissed Haruka's lips gently, briefly. Then again. And again, her kisses becoming more heated after a few seconds. She pulled back regretfully and sighed.

Wordlessly, she separated from Haruka, but barely. They gazed into each other's lustful eyes, and nodded.

Flushed and excited, the pair made their way out into the hall, continuing their return back to the party. Upon joining the main hall and rounding the corner, they came face-to-face with the King of Neptune.

"Michiru…" he said cautiously, his eyebrow lifting in shock.

"Father…"

"This is surprising…" He gave them a glance that did not hide his suspicion. It was a look that conveyed he knew they were out sneaking around, and he didn't like it.

Michiru regained her composure quickly. "We were just on our way back."

The king nodded, his icy gaze catching Haruka's. "Of course." He watched as they quickly walked back to the party, shaking his head, his stony anger contained only from years of practice.

Haruka and Michiru did not mention their run-in with King Neptune, nor did they mention the kiss. They arrived at the party and acted as if nothing had happened, as if they hadn't been gone at all. They placed some distance between each other so as not to draw suspicion (although Michiru felt inclined to attach herself to Haruka's arm and never let go), especially since King Neptune had rejoined the party and was sipping wine with Queen Despina, occasionally casting suspicious glances in their direction. They mingled and chatted with the guests, their eyes meeting frequently but briefly. Michiru chatted with Geole, recounting her training exercises on the moon to him, and he listened in interest. Haruka found herself talking to several younger girls who questioned her about her origins and senshi duties.

But underneath their half-hearted motions, both of their minds were remembering the taste of the other's lips, the heat, the excitement, and the way their hearts were pounding only moments beforehand.

Time seemed to pass by agonizingly slow. Haruka found herself tired of mingling, and only wanted to retreat to her room to mull over what had happened between her and Michiru… and, of course, to replay it in full detail. Finally the party was officially over, though it was expected to continue for the remainder of the night. The obligation to stay, however, was removed, and Haruka found herself politely ending the conversation on Venutian love temples she'd been unenthusiastically participating in. She caught Michiru's gaze from across the room, nodded, and silently made her departure.

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Whew! That was long, right?

Thanks again for all your great reviews. I feel like I have found the meaning of life... haha. Like I said, I'll try and update soon... we all know I don't have a life, anyways, and no show to work on until January. :X So maybe I'll get some writing done.

Happy holidays, pals. See ya next time. :)


	11. Confusion

Hiiiiiii.

It's been a long time, I know. I just been BIZ-EE. But here is an update, brought to you by the fact that one of my jobs is being ridiculous and giving me days off. (I know, right- UNFORGIVEABLE.)

Anyways. This one is kind of short (by 'kind of' I mean 'really short') but things are gonna start to heat up pretty soon. (both in the physical and um... okay, well, I guess physical is the only way it could heat up?) The next chapter will be somewhat light-hearted, but then everything is going to start to get a little darker as we get to the actual fall of the Silver Millenium. I'm sorry! It wasn't my idea to kill everybody. :(

So. Enjoy this chappie.

And Sailor Moon still ain't mine.

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Once in her quarters, Haruka changed into her usual sleepwear and sat on her bed, thinking. She began to replay the night's events in her mind, analyzing Michiru's reactions, and wondering how this new development would effect their relationship, but most of all, their partnership. There came a soft knock on the door and Haruka looked at the clock, surprised to find that she had been immersed in her thoughts for quite a long time.

Haruka got up and answered the door, slightly startled to find Michiru standing on the other side, still dressed in her ball attire.

"May I come in?" she asked hesitantly, swallowing nervously, and Haruka nodded.

"Of course." The blonde stood aside, holding the door for the Neptunian princess.

Michiru entered the room and looked around, noticing as if for the first time the décor. She swallowed again and turned to Haruka, who had shut the door and was standing rather close behind her. Michiru gazed up into those deep teal eyes, and they were silent for a moment.

"Haruka, I--"

In an instant Haruka had moved forward and captured the aqua-haired girl's lips with her own. Michiru, shocked at first, could not resist as the blonde's arms encircled her, drawing her in tightly, and she wrapped her own arms around Haruka's neck, fingers tangling in her hair.

When the kiss ended, Michiru was left breathless, nearly a puddle in the blonde's embrace. Haruka kissed her again, softer, and she felt her resolve weakening.

"Haruka…" she started, still breathless, as she felt kisses across her cheek, lips beginning to move onto her neck, her partner's breathing in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. She bit her lip. She needed to leave. In a last desperate effort, she managed to pull back slightly, still in Haruka's arms, but her blue eyes catching the blonde's.

She smiled softly, letting Haruka know that she didn't do anything wrong, and took a deep breath, turning suddenly serious. "We can't do this."

Haruka exhaled slowly. She read the look in Michiru's eyes. She wasn't just talking about the next step. She opened her mouth to say something, but Michiru kissed her fiercely. Surprised, Haruka kissed back with just as much fervor, until Michiru pulled back abruptly, breathing hard, her forehead resting against the blonde's.

"But god, I want to," she whispered. She let her forehead rest against Haruka's for a moment, their noses touching, their lips barely brushing. "But we can't. We can't, Haruka," she whispered in a shaky breath. "We have a duty, a service to perform. We have a promise to keep."

Haruka stood, stunned. "Michiru--"

Michiru kissed her again, so passionate that Haruka nearly lost her balance, and she took a step back, pulling away. She looked into Michiru's eyes and was surprised to find the beginnings of tears there.

"How can I keep the promise we made if we do this?" she asked. She blinked, and felt the tears slide down her cheeks.

Haruka reached to wipe the tears away but Michiru brushed her hand aside, her eyes turning suddenly emotionless. "I've had time to think. An intimate relationship would only complicate things, and…" Michiru trailed off, averting her eyes.

Haruka nodded, her expression unreadable, her eyes voiding all emotion as well. "I see." She swallowed. "Then I will honor your request, Michiru."

Michiru nodded, her lips set in a thin line. "Thank you." She looked up briefly into Haruka's eyes, then, fearing she might break down, she lowered her head, letting her hair mask her face. "I… must go."

"Good night, then," Haruka responded, her teal eyes never leaving Michiru's averted ones.

"Good night," the aqua-haired girl said as she exited.

Haruka did not turn at the sound of the door closing.

What just happened?

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The next day, the pair loaded onto their transport back to the moon. Haruka spent the majority of the time engaged in conversation with the on-deck female attendant, who was completely captivated by the blonde's charm and flirty banter. Michiru was not amused by the behavior, and she spent the time in her room reading various periodicals she had taken from her planet which documented recent events.

Once they arrived back on the moon, each went their separate ways to their quarters. They spent the next few days apart, going about their daily routines, and only communicating when necessary. Each felt that time apart was essential to quelling the longing each of them felt to be closer to the other.

Their distance did not go unnoticed by Queen Serenity, who was very aware of the suddenly different tension between the two previously inseparable partners. She had initially decided to let things work themselves out on their own, but reconsidered after a few days of observation.

"Setsuna, how long do you suppose they will go on about this?"

The Senshi of Time nearly chuckled at her queen's genuine but amused concern. "I don't believe they can last much longer, Your Majesty."

The Queen laughed. "Should I interfere?"

Pluto shook her head, amused. "I advise against it. They will come around, I'm sure of it. Just give it a little more time."

Queen Serenity shrugged. "I hope you're right, Setsuna. But then… you are the Guardian of Time."

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"So she just… walked out?"

Haruka nodded at the brunette's question. She had been spending a lot of time with Makoto, teaching the younger, less experienced senshi some of her techniques. They had been sparring partners for a long time, and Haruka enjoyed the brunette's company, more so than any of the other senshi. To her, Makoto seemed a bit more mature, and a bit of a loner, like the blonde herself.

"But I mean… she obviously likes you, Haruka," Makoto pointed out. "So what's the big deal? All of this because of senshi duty? Queen Serenity didn't mention that we couldn't have relationships with each other… Did she?"

Haruka shrugged. "Michiru has her own opinion about it, I suppose."

"Well, if you ask me, she just needs some persuasion." The brunette winked. Haruka raised an eyebrow.

"Persuasion?"

"Yeah," Makoto nodded. "You just need to show her what she's missing out on."

"Oh, trust me, she knows," Haruka joked. "Wait a minute- why am I taking advice from an Inner Senshi?" Haruka laughed at Makoto's mock angry expression.

"Hey!" The brunette swung and Haruka narrowly avoided a hit. "Oh, it's like that, is it?" The blonde returned an attack, which was blocked. "Hey, good!" She smiled. "But let's see you dodge this." They continued sparring for a while, and then decided to call it a day.

"Seriously, though, Haruka," Makoto called over her shoulder as she was leaving. "You should talk to her."

"I will," the blonde nodded. "Tonight."

---------------------------------------------

Later that evening, Haruka found Michiru star-gazing on a hill. She was in a pale blue, light summer dress, sitting on the hill with her legs bent neatly beside her. Her shoes had been removed and were resting close by.

Haruka approached silently and sat down close to the aqua-haired princess, noticing for the first time the cool night breeze, which tugged gently at the collar of her shirt and played with her already messy hair.

Michiru was acutely aware of the blonde's arrival and felt her stomach suddenly become knotted with tension as Haruka seated herself near her. She could smell Haruka's cologne and feel her energy and body heat. The feeling combined with the cool breeze made her shiver involuntarily. She avoided looking at Haruka; she felt the sight of the blonde would crumble her resolve to keep their relationship more professional. The thought made her remember the kisses they had shared, and the way Haruka's lips had felt pressed against her own. She blushed slightly, pink staining her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She lowered her head slightly, allowing her hair to mask her embarrassment.

For a moment, Haruka remained silent and acted as if she took no notice of Michiru's reaction. Her gaze rose to the heavens, where she began to observe the different star patterns and constellations, all very familiar to her because of their training. She felt nervous for some reason, but still so comfortable around Michiru.

Finally, Michiru spoke. "There was a comet."

Haruka raised her eyebrow, her gaze never leaving the constellation Circinus. "Oh?"

"I… had a sudden feeling," Michiru continued. Haruka did not question the nature of the feeling- judging by Michiru's tone, she knew it couldn't have been good. "I came to observe the comet… it's gone now, but I still feel uneasy."

Haruka slowly nodded. "Do you think it could signify another attack?" she asked thoughtfully, but with a hint of seriousness.

Michiru shrugged, her intense blue eyes meeting Haruka's green ones. "I'm not entirely sure what it means. But I believe anything is possible."

Haruka nodded again, returning her stare to the stars. She let her breath out slowly when she felt the pressure of Michiru's head resting suddenly on her shoulder. Hesitantly, Michiru wrapped her arm around Haruka's, letting her hand entwine with the blonde's. Haruka swallowed, not sure how to react, afraid to say anything in fear of scaring Michiru away. The warm contact of Michiru's hand in hers was a feeling she had missed the past few days.

Michiru let her eyes close, enjoying the scent and feel of Haruka's close proximity. She felt at ease, regardless of the fact that she knew she would have to separate from her partner very soon, or risk something happening between them. Still, she pushed her feelings of foreboding away and relished her chance to be close to Haruka, if only just this one time.

After a few moments, Haruka rested her head against Michiru's, and they sat that way for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts and the stars.

----------------------------

Toldja it was short. But don't worry, now that I have time to kill, I will definitely be writing some mo'. Look for another chapter by the end of this week... maybe... :X

So until I see you next time, have a great day, pals. :D


	12. Clarity

Hey urrybody. I told you I'd be along with another chapter this week. This is a pretty long one.

Thanks for all your wonderful reviews! I always enjoy hearing from my audience, even if they just want to tell me about a hangnail they have or something. Well... er... you get the idea, right? ;D

Also, WARNING because it's lemon-flavored. That means adult content. So if you don't like lemonade, or lemon meringue pie, or whatever other food item you desire involving lemons that can be used to make a crappy metaphor, I suggest you skip that part. I mean, you'll know when that part is coming. It's not like I was all "tra la la, puppies, kitties, rhinos, OMG LEMON, butterflies." It's a gradual thing. I tried not to make it smutty or too graphic, because um, that's not how I do. At least, not in this story. But it is some strong lemonade. Or lemon meringue pie. Or... okay, you get the picture. ;)

Also, the next chapter will be lemon-flavored as well (but not the entire chapter, because believe it or not, this story is not about sex, haha, but it couldn't hurt to have some, right?) unless everyone hates it, in which case, it's not that essential to the plot so it can be removed for the sake of pleasing my audience. AND. People start dying a lot next chapter. And pretty much the rest of this story will be a little intense and kind of depressing as the NEGAVERSE (lmao) begins to conquer and pillage. You know how they be. I promise it will have a happy ending though. I PROMISE.

So. Sailor Moon ain't mine. I'm still working on it.

And without further crap spewing out of my mouth... enjoy the story. :D

-------------------------------------------

Haruka was awakened early the next morning by a knock on her door. She groaned at the interruption to her altogether-too-short slumber. Her late-night star watching with Michiru had kept her from her normal, developed sleep pattern, and she was not properly rested. Obediently she got out of bed to answer the door, finding Queen Serenity on the other side.

The Queen smiled warmly, raising a curious eyebrow. "Haruka, I apologize for the wake up call. I assumed you would be up by now."

Haruka bowed her head. "Usually so, Your Majesty. Michiru and I were out late last night. She had a… feeling."

The Queen smiled knowingly. "Of course." She handed Haruka an envelope sealed with the Silver Millenium crest, the trademark of her personal letters. "Normally I would have these delivered by my courier, but I wanted to deliver them myself. They have… special meaning for me." The Queen averted her eyes sadly. "There is to be a luncheon held tomorrow in honor of the completed senshi training." She looked up, and her smile returned slightly. "All eight of the senshi have finished at last. The envelope contains your invitation to the luncheon. It's not as grand as the initial ball, and the guest list is very restricted and limited, though you are welcome to invite whomever you wish… but it is still held in your honor, Haruka. I apologize for the short notice. I do hope to see you there."

Haruka nodded. "I will be there, my queen."

Queen Serenity smiled again, this time the smile reached her eyes. "Thank you, Haruka." She turned to leave. "Do enjoy the rest of your day. I have to be getting on with these." She indicated the remaining invitations in her hand.

"Of course, Your Majesty."

With that, the queen swept down the hallway, her long dress flowing around her ankles from her brisk pace.

------------------------------------

"I've invited my father," Michiru told Haruka nonchalantly, breaking the silence which had fallen over them. They had been studying together all evening, neither saying more than a few words to the other, though that did not make the situation awkward in the slightest. They both simply enjoyed each other's company, and did not feel the need for words.

The roar of the fireplace provided the soundtrack to their evening as they sat together in the private study lounge near their rooms, both bent over their respective books. Haruka looked up at the sound of Michiru's statement.

"Do you think he will come?" the blonde asked carefully.

Michiru laughed slightly. She continued to write for a moment before answering, "He has better things to do. He said he already knows I completed my training, and he could care less about the rest of the senshi." She shrugged, amused, and looked up from her writings. "Besides, I only invited him to be nice. I don't actually want him to come."

Haruka grinned. "Well, let's hope he doesn't show."

"If he does, I'll be amazed. Did you invite Tachi?"

The blonde shook her head. "He's completely involved with the economy on Uranus. You know that after the battle a few months ago there were severe repercussions to the stability of the economy. Tachi's been working day and night to try and stabilize it again." She sighed. "I feel guilty for not doing more to help. But I don't suppose I'd even know where to start. He's always handled those types of affairs."

Michiru caught Haruka's eyes. "Then you shouldn't worry. He can handle it, right?"

Haruka nodded. "I certainly hope so."

They went back to their studies again for a moment before Haruka spoke softly. "Have you had any more bad feelings?"

Michiru looked up again, her expression serious. "I can't shake this nagging feeling of foreboding. It's a small voice in the back of my mind telling me something serious is about to happen, I just don't know what it is. It's frustrating." She produced the Deep Aqua Mirror with one deft hand movement. "I've checked the mirror almost religiously…"

"And?" the blonde asked.

Michiru gazed into the shiny, reflective surface, but saw only her own worried eyes staring back at her. "Still nothing," she sighed.

Haruka noticed the aqua-haired girl's expression and frowned. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it will make itself known eventually. All we can do is prepare ourselves the best we can."

Michiru nodded, staring blankly into the mirror, her voice a bare whisper. "That's what worries me."

---------------------------------

"Are you ready?"

Michiru nodded at her partner's question. She stepped out of her room in her semi-formal, pastel green dress and closed the door, then took the arm offered to her by Haruka, who was in a more casual variant of her Royal Uranian attire, though instead of being black it was a navy blue. They walked together to the ballroom where the luncheon was being held; it was the same room that had housed the Offering Ceremony, and held a certain sense of familiarity for the two senshi.

Upon arriving, Haruka noticed how the queen had been right in saying there was a much lighter guest list. She noticed that while many of the high-ranking nobles and ambassadors had been present at the Offering Ceremony, many of the guests at the celebratory luncheon were representatives of those nobles, and other unimportant people trying to feel important by appearing. The atmosphere gave her an uneasy feeling.

"You sense it?" Michiru asked softly.

Haruka nodded. "It's so… fake." The blonde felt almost offended at the gaily talking guests, completely oblivious to the approaching disaster. Michiru sighed.

"They are not to know, though," she said quietly. "Who can blame them for believing everything is peaceful? In their world, everything is."

Queen Serenity did not go unnoticed by the two senshi. Her dignified posture and flawless appearance did not hide the bags under her eyes and her general look of exhaustion that those who had been around her for any length of time would notice. It pained both of the senshi to see the Queen's smile, which did not reach her eyes, or the constant worried look in those eyes as she scanned the crowd.

Queen Serenity herself had been plagued by terrible nightmares for some time, and hadn't been sleeping. She spent many of her nights roaming her palace, checking in on her daughter, and standing on the balcony of her bedroom gazing at the earth. A general feeling of deep uneasiness followed her constantly. Sometimes she would sit in her chair for a minute, only to look up and find that hours had passed. She felt a pounding headache beginning to come to her, and stepped backstage for a moment, away from her roomful of guests, to place a hand at her temple.

"Your Majesty."

The Queen opened her eyes to see Pluto standing before her, wearing a sequined crimson dress which reached her ankles. It was the first time the queen had seen Pluto in something other than her fuku in more than 20 years, and her mouth dropped open for a second.

"Setsuna," she started in shock, not sure what to say.

The civilianized Guardian of Time chuckled slightly. "You seem surprised."

Queen Serenity quickly regained her composure. "Well, can you blame me? What's the occasion?"

Setsuna smiled and gestured to the ballroom of people. "Why, it's the Celebratory Luncheon," she laughed, genuinely amused.

The Queen returned her smile. "So it is." Setsuna frowned as she noticed the bags under the queen's eyes.

"Your Majesty, I've become concerned," Setsuna stated carefully.

"Oh?"

"You haven't been sleeping properly. Is something troubling you?"

Queen Serenity sighed. "Setsuna, must we play these games?" At Setsuna's sad expression she added, "You are the Guardian of Time. You know exactly why I haven't been sleeping."

Setsuna nodded and the Queen sighed again. "I'm sorry. I just… it's frustrating- not knowing what to expect, but knowing to expect _something…_" Setsuna put her hand on the queen's shoulder in understanding.

"I wish there was more I could do for you, Your Majesty."

"Me, too."

Setsuna was silent for a moment and Queen Serenity felt uncomfortable. She looked into the Guardian of Time's garnet eyes and suddenly knew why she was there. "Setsuna, you're here to tell me something."

The green-haired woman averted her eyes guiltily. "Your Majesty, I… I think you should relieve Hotaru of senshi duties."

The Queen narrowed her eyes. "Why? What could it possibly mean to relieve Hotaru of…" she trailed off. She knew why. "No!" She gasped, horrified. She covered her mouth with her hands, shaking her head. "No… Hotaru--"

"Hotaru is the senshi of death," Setsuna interrupted emotionlessly. "The senshi of _rebirth_. If she is present for the coming battle, she may be tempted to use her powers, and the timeline may be compromised. It is crucial to the space-time continuum to--"

"Oh, _damn_ your space-time continuum, Setsuna!" Queen Serenity snapped in an angry whisper, her eyes tearing up. "Not little Hotaru." She covered her face with her hands, struggling to hold in tears.

"Your Majesty, it must be done. Need I remind you the absolute importance of--"

"No," the Queen said sadly, her voice shaking slightly as she lowered her hands to her sides. "No, you need not, Setsuna." She shuddered, then regained her composure. She looked into Setsuna's eyes again. "I apologize for my anger, Setsuna."

"I understand, Your Majesty."

The Queen nodded, shaking her head as if to clear it. Setsuna placed a hand on the Queen's shoulder; the Queen seemed to lose herself staring at nothing in particular. Setsuna gazed at Queen Serenity's distant expression and her blue eyes shining with unshed tears, and felt another small part of herself retreating to a place of emptiness.

"I'm… sorry."

The Queen looked up into her eyes and slowly nodded. "Me, too. Now, if you'll excuse me…" She turned away and returned to the celebration.

Setsuna was left alone for a moment to reflect. There were many times when she resented her duties as a senshi, even hated them. The only thought that gave her solace was that her deeds needed to be done, and it was for the greater good.

But that didn't make her job any easier.

-----------------------------

Haruka was sipping her glass of wine and observing her partner's conversation from a short distance away. Michiru's mentor and friend, Geole, had pleasantly surprised the young artist by making an appearance, and the two were catching up on events, though they had just seen each other at Michiru's birthday party.

While they were conversing, Haruka pondered her situation with Michiru. She felt slightly guilty for not putting all of her available brainpower towards the upcoming battle, but as she covertly watched Michiru talk with Geole, she felt memories surfacing of her time before she accepted her role as a senshi and the Offering Ceremony, where she stole glances at the Neptunian Princess, much as she was doing now. She sighed irritably. She knew she was not the same person as she was then, nor had her relationship with Michiru remained unchanged, but she didn't feel any closer to achieving the relationship she desired. She swirled her wine bitterly and took another sip.

Her interest perked when she heard the Queen call for the start of the luncheon presentation, and she took a seat beside Makoto, who grinned in surprise at the older senshi's choice of seating. Haruka winked at the brunette and focused her attention on Queen Serenity, who had taken center stage. Michiru sat down beside her, her calm demeanor and formal posture giving her a sophisticated look that Haruka adored.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the Queen began without much feeling, "For some this will be a second meeting, for others it will be the first. I welcome you all to the Moon Kingdom."

The audience broke out in polite clapping as the Queen paused, then continued, her tone much more emotional. "Several months ago, eight young women began to embark on a journey. It was not an easy road for any of them, and there were times when I'm sure each of them wanted to give up. There were many obstacles, and the training was very intense, to say the least. However, all eight of them have successfully completed their training programs, and will now stand before you, rightfully, as Sailor Senshi. Ladies, if you please…" She gestured to the senshi sitting on the front row, and carefully, they all rose to accept acknowledgement. The Queen stated their names and planets, and each bowed in response.

"I cannot express how proud of each of them I am," the Queen said seriously. "Standing there are eight completely different women than the eight who stood there months ago." She turned to look at the senshi. "Congratulations, girls." The senshi were seated to the sound of more applause, and the Queen cleared her throat uneasily. "Before we start the socializing, I have one announcement to make. Hotaru," the young 12-year-old looked up, surprised, her bright violet eyes a little fearful.

The Queen smiled gently, her eyes tearing up a little. "I would like to take this opportunity to relieve you of senshi duty for the time being. With the completion of your training, you have fulfilled your purpose as Sailor Saturn."

Hotaru nodded, looking somewhat confused, her short, dark purple hair rippling slightly at her head movement. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"You will be flying home tomorrow morning," the Queen instructed gently. "Do you have any questions?"

"No, Your Majesty," the young girl said obediently. "I understand."

"Very good." The Queen looked up, swallowed, and said in an evenly measured voice, "Please enjoy the food and festivities. Thank you." With that, she hurried off the stage. Startled at the unexpected hurried departure, the live band hesitated for a brief moment of silence, and then the conductor hastily struck up the band, filling in the resounding silence with soft, upbeat music.

Haruka cast a worried glance over at Michiru, who was frowning slightly. Both of them were more than a little concerned for their queen's health. They ate their lunch in relative silence, both lost in thoughts of their various perspectives on things, until the band played a familiar song. Haruka recognized it immediately as the song she and Michiru had danced to on Neptune.

She looked over at her partner, who had finished her meal and was sitting thoughtfully with her glass of wine. She stood up, moved very close to the aqua-haired princess and offered her hand. "Michiru," she murmured close to the girl's ear, "May I have this dance?"

Michiru smiled, shrugged, and finished her glass of wine in a very unladylike manner, causing Haruka to give her a wry grin. Then she grabbed Haruka's hand and let the blonde pull her gently to her feet. "Of course," she replied with a smile, and gracefully followed Haruka out onto the dance floor.

Halfway through the song, Michiru was feeling slightly intoxicated, but just enough to make the dance with Haruka seem almost magical. She seemed to almost melt into Haruka's protective, firm arms. Her mind wandered to her decision. Was it, really?

She sighed. She knew she had to tell Haruka the truth. Perhaps it was the wine, but she didn't think she could keep up the masquerade of pretending she didn't want an intimate relationship with Haruka any longer. She decided, right then and there, that she had to confess.

But another glass of wine couldn't hurt.

The song ended, and Michiru suggested they both grab another drink. After all, it was early evening- perfectly appropriate. Haruka agreed, and followed her back to their seats, where they found another glass of wine already waiting.

As the artist was lifting her glass for a sip, she heard a familiar voice.

"Michiru, pardon the interruption…"

She turned to find the senshi of Mars standing rather nervously before her.

"Of course, Rei," she said gently. "What can I do for you?" She sipped her wine casually.

Rei fidgeted uncomfortably, averting her eyes. "Well, I was just wondering… that is… I have a serious question." She hesitated uncertainly, then looked up into Michiru's eyes. "Have you been having any… nightmares?"

Michiru seemed slightly taken aback by the question, and glanced quickly at Haruka, then looked back to Rei. "To tell the truth," she said in a low tone, "Yes. I've been having nightmares for several days."

Haruka gave Michiru a questioning glance, surprised that her partner did not mention the nightmares to her. Rei went on to tell Michiru that she felt the forthcoming of an evil presence, which the aqua-haired girl confirmed. The senshi of Mars seemed relieved at the news.

"Michiru, thank you," she breathed. "I was concerned that perhaps I was going crazy, but then I remembered that you are also gifted with premonitions."

Michiru gave her a funny smile. "I don't know if I'd call it 'gifted,'" she laughed, "but you're always welcome to confide in me, Rei."

Rei bowed, grateful that she had the older, more experienced senshi to talk to. "Thanks again, Michiru. I appreciate your counsel."

"You're welcome."

Rei turned to leave, pausing to give them both a smile, then walking towards where the other inner senshi sat, arguing over something minor.

Silence fell over the two outer senshi, and then Haruka went to speak.

"Michiru, I-"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you-," Michiru interrupted quietly, staring into her wine glass, "-about the nightmares." She looked up briefly, her gaze catching the blonde's. "I didn't want you to worry. I feel like I've already troubled you enough with my premonitions, and it's bad enough I stay awake worrying…" She trailed off into awkward silence, feeling slightly ashamed and embarrassed.

"I'm your partner, Michiru," Haruka said softly. "You shouldn't be afraid to tell me anything. It's my duty to worry just as much as you do."

Michiru nodded, swirling her glass of wine. "I know, Haruka, I just…" she lowered her voice almost to a whisper, "wanted to spare you some of that."

Haruka sighed. "Michiru…" She reached up to cup the shorter woman's face, but Michiru grabbed her hand instead, entwining their fingers together, their eyes meeting.

Haruka felt like she could lose herself in the beautiful depths of Michiru's eyes, but Michiru brought her back to reality with her voice.

"Come walk with me, Haruka…"

The blonde nodded and let Michiru lead her out of the ballroom and away from the luncheon.

-------------------

Queen Serenity watched as Haruka and Michiru exited the ballroom, feeling somewhat glad that their relationship, which had become slightly estranged, was slowly returning to its old familiar closeness. The thought cheered her a little, but as she observed Hotaru talking with some representatives from Jupiter, her mood suddenly soured again.

She turned at the sound of heavy footsteps, and saw the tall, dark-haired man from Earth that her daughter had been 'secretly' seeing. Of course, very little about her daughter was secret from her, especially when it came to her safety, but she knew the man to be pure-hearted and virtuous, so she allowed their visitations to continue, undisturbed.

"Your Majesty," he greeted, sinking to one knee and bowing deeply. "It is an honor to meet you, at last."

The Queen smiled. "The pleasure is all mine, sir. It is an honor to meet you at last, as well."

The man looked up, a confused expression on his handsome features. The Queen laughed gently. "Please, rise, sir. There's no need for such formalities here."

The dark-haired man rose to his feet, and he was as tall as the Queen herself, with broad shoulders and a sturdy frame. He wore the uniform of the Earth's Royal Guard, and had a sword attached to his hip.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," he said sincerely.

"Now, what can I do for you?" The Queen asked, giving the man her full attention.

"I am Prince Endymion, from Earth," the man stated with another small bow. "I have come to you regarding a serious matter, I'm afraid." He cleared his throat a little before continuing. "I'm concerned about my home planet. We've never been a serious part of the Silver Alliance, thanks mainly to my father's doing. However, as Prince I feel it is my duty to do what is in the best interest of my people. I am here to forge an alliance on behalf of Earth. However…" He glanced around briefly before continuing in a lower tone, "Unlike my father, I'm not blind to what's been going on in the universe, or to the evil that seems to be advancing on us all. I've long suspected that several of my generals have fallen to the power of the Dark Kingdom. My planet has become infiltrated and overrun with their spies. It is with this knowledge that I have come- to offer you whatever aid I possibly can." The Queen listened attentively as Endymion continued. "Since the subtle changes have happened, I've begun retaliating and doing everything in my power to prevent a full-scale loss. I lead a resistance, which by no means is a force to take lightly, but I fear the worst. Please, Your Majesty, if there is anything at all I can do to help, only let me know."

Touched by the young man's offer, Queen Serenity smiled. "I can see why my daughter likes you," she said softly, a slight mischievous twinkle in her eye. Endymion was floored. He opened his mouth to speak, but the Queen continued. "Do not worry, Prince of Earth- your secret is safe with me." She winked, then became serious. "I know I can trust you with my daughter," she said quietly. "You will encounter no resistance from me. Your offer is quite generous, as well. Unfortunately, all we can do now is prepare for the worst and hope for the best, and continue to fight. I think we have a very small chance of winning, but it is still a chance."

Endymion nodded, absorbing the Queen's words.

"If I discover anything that may aid you, Prince Endymion, or any action you can perform that will help in our struggle, you will be the first to know," the Queen promised.

"Thank you, my Queen," Endymion said with another respectful bow.

"Now, weren't you about to see someone?"

Endymion blushed slightly. "Yes, Your Majesty."

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"Isn't it beautiful?" Michiru asked in a light voice as they walked slowly, hand in hand, through a flower garden. "I discovered it the other day. It's a minor garden in comparison to the others, but I find it especially exquisite."

Haruka only nodded as she breathed in the scent of the varied aromatic flowers growing around them and took in the many abundant colors. She had taken off her well-insulated, navy, uniform coat as they walked and had rolled the sleeves of her black dress shirt underneath up in an attempt to cool off. They were walking deliberately on a winding, narrow stone path that lead them down a gently-sloped hill and ended at a small, intimate gazebo carved out of solid, white glass. Growing on the roof and up the supporting columns were various vines containing many colorful, sweet-smelling flowers. The vines were so thick that they covered most of the open space between the roof and the low walls, giving the small structure a very private atmosphere.

All around the miniature pavilion were glass benches, small rose bushes that were trimmed in such a way that they looked as if they had wildly overgrown, and flower beds of every shape and size. There was a small pond with a low waterfall fountain that gave just enough of the sound of running water to be relaxing. Trees were spaced throughout the garden so that they created a sort of canopy overhead, blocking the more severe rays of the sun and letting just enough through to keep the plants beneath happy.

The sun was setting as Haruka and Michiru made their way to the center of the garden. The final rays of the sun that made it brokenly through the entwined tree branches above gave the pair a mottled look, and Michiru couldn't help but feel moved by the effect, though also a bit silly for feeling so. She was glad she had found this place; it was almost like an escape for her. Everything about it was perfect, and it really felt as though someone had set aside a little piece of heaven for her to find. Now that Haruka was here with her she felt complete in every way except for one. She swallowed as she became very aware of Haruka's hand in hers. She had been holding it for the duration of the walk but now she realized that she had been. She stroked the smooth skin of Haruka's hand with her thumb nervously and bit her lip.

Her action did not go unnoticed by Haruka, who looked at the aqua-haired girl questioningly. As if in reply, Michiru slowed her pace to a stop as they reached the entrance to the gazebo. She caught Haruka's eyes and entered the small structure, pulling the blonde gently by the hand. Once inside, she noticed the bench centered near the back wall, paused to observe the feeling of intimacy, and then turned to her partner, who had set her coat down on the glass bench.

"Haruka, I haven't been completely honest with you," Michiru started. At Haruka's steady gaze she continued. "That night on Neptune, when I told you that I felt an intimate relationship would complicate things, I was speaking on behalf of my father, not me." She lowered her head slightly. "I did feel that an intimate relationship would complicate things, but not to the point where I'd give up the chance to be with you." She squeezed Haruka's hand in emphasis. "After my father caught us returning to the party, he was furious. When you left, so did I, but I was intercepted by him. He told me that relationships between senshi are dangerous not only to the senshi involved, but also to the cause they serve." She sighed. "He was right… and he convinced me to give up my selfish desire to be with you. But how can I focus on being a senshi when all my thoughts, all I can think about is…" Michiru took a deep breath, and looked up into Haruka's deep green eyes. It was now or never. "Haruka, the nightmares I've been having have only reminded me of the lives we are living. Yes, we have committed ourselves to a cause, but does that mean our lives cannot have meaning or happiness other than what's directly related to our duty?" She moved closer to the blonde. "My nightmares have made me realize that our days are numbered, and it would hurt me terribly to know that if and when I die, I did not take advantage of every opportunity I had to spend with you." Michiru felt the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes, but she needed to keep going, to get everything off of her chest.

"Haruka, I-" Her eyes flew open wide when she felt the blonde's lips on hers. She couldn't withhold the slight moan she made as she melted into the kiss. She felt Haruka's arms encircling her, pulling her tight against her strong frame, and she was thankful for it because she wasn't sure she had the strength in her legs to stand. She wrapped her arms around Haruka's neck and kissed back with all the desperation she had felt for the past few weeks. When she finally had to pull her head back a little for air, panting slightly, she lost herself in Haruka's intense eyes.

"I love you," she breathed heavily, her lips brushing Haruka's. "So much."

Haruka kissed her again, gently, then turned her head and hugged her, whispering in her ear, "I love you, Michiru." They held each other for a moment, lost in the feeling of their bodies pressed together and being wrapped in each other's embrace, before Michiru pulled away and took a step back, sitting on the bench. Haruka moved to sit beside her, and Michiru laid her head on the blonde's shoulder, sighing contentedly.

They sat that way for a long while, until Michiru ached to be closer. She wanted more of Haruka's kisses. She had wanted more since that first night on Neptune, but had to restrain herself because of a self-convinced excuse that no longer held any bearing in her mind. She began to trace idle circles on Haruka's shoulder, anticipating her next move.

Haruka shivered slightly as she felt Michiru's fingertips begin gently tracing up and down her bare arm. Her body started to tense up at the sensual touch and she attempted to refocus her thoughts on something else rather than the feel of Michiru's warm fingers on her bare skin. She abandoned the idea, however, when she felt the aqua-haired girl begin to kiss her neck, softly, her warm breath sending shivers down her spine.

"Michiru," she breathed, turning to look at her partner. She leaned forward and kissed her, letting one arm go behind Michiru's back to rest on the bench for support, and cupping Michiru's face with her other hand. Michiru let one of her hands rest on Haruka's thigh, the other tangling itself in her partner's blonde hair, clutching it teasingly as the kiss began to intensify.

Michiru moaned audibly when Haruka's tongue met hers in a sensual, erotic dance. She could feel her body beginning to respond to Haruka's kiss, and she felt an overwhelming aching desire to be closer. Haruka's hand had lowered to Michiru's thigh, which had crossed over her own thigh in Michiru's effort to shorten the distance between their bodies. Haruka's arm had found its way around Michiru's waist and had pulled her in closer, stroking the bare parts of her back softly and making the artist shiver with pleasure at the slight caresses.

Haruka stroked Michiru's thigh through her dress teasingly, her hand moving further up with each return. Michiru was doing everything in her power not to squirm. She felt uncomfortable in her dress and was fighting the desire to simply take it off and let that be that.

The blonde finally broke the kiss and began to plant soft kisses on Michiru's neck, leaving Michiru's skin on fire in her wake. She reached Michiru's ear and began to tease it gently with her teeth, her warm breath making Michiru shake with desire until finally the aqua-haired girl, uncaring of the fact that she was in a dress, straddled the blonde's lap and kissed her firmly on the mouth, her hands gripping blonde locks tightly.

Haruka let her hands unconsciously wander, exploring the southern region of Michiru's body- her hips, thighs, and firm behind. Instinctually, Michiru's hips began to rock against Haruka's body, and Haruka could feel Michiru's warm region pressed against her lower stomach through their clothes. She swallowed at the thought of Michiru being so sexual, and when her partner pulled away for air, she began to kiss her bare collarbone.

Michiru felt constricted in every way possible. She felt the pressure inside her building with every movement of her hips, and her clothes constraining her. She wanted- needed more. Slightly frustrated and flustered, she let her forehead rest against Haruka's as she reached for the other's hands and guided them to where she needed them.

"Touch me, please…" she breathed desperately.

Haruka hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"Please…"

At the pleading tone in Michiru's voice, Haruka gave in and allowed her fingers to explore, found the spot that made her partner gasp, and worked it until Michiru was shaking against her, her thighs tensing and her hands gripping her shirt like a lifeline, her soft cry of release lost in Haruka's open mouth.

Afterwards, they relocated to one of the flower patches, decidedly insensitive to the care of their apparel as they lay on their backs in the plants. Michiru had her head resting on Haruka's shoulder as they looked up at the sky. The Earth was visible during that time of night, and they whispered to each other how they enjoyed the vibrant colors and swirling wisps of clouds encircling the small planet, and tried to identify familiar figures in the shapes of the continents, much how one might locate a constellation in the night sky.

--------------------------

So um. That's another chapter down. Woo-hoo. The good news is, we've only got about... -counts- maybe 5 more chapters to go until the story ends? I know, I know, you're overjoyed. :)

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. Thanks again for all the great reviews. They make me feel like daaaancing...

And oh... the Earth Royal Guard mumbojumbo uniform that Endymion is wearing is his usual Prince Endymion outfit that he magically wears whenever he transcends time and becomes magical Endymion. Unfortunately, I am not having him throw roses in this story. Sorry. :(

See you next time, pals. :D


	13. The Cost of Defeat

HEEEEEY.

Holy crap, I'm back with another chapter! Sorry this one took so long. I figured out that between English Literature, directing a 10-minute play, managing _The Butler Did It_, and frying up people's wings and chicken fingers, it doesn't leave very much time for writing. But I hope now that the summer is approaching and I'm neglecting writing my papers on _King Lear_, I can write more on this story, and finally get it done. LOL. Plus, you would not believe how hard it is to write sexxx when you're recovering from a break-up. Haha. ;D

Which reminds me…

SEXXXXXXXXXXXXXX is in this chapter. It's kind of graphic. I don't do the metaphorical romance novel description very well, I guess. Sorry if it's too descriptive…

But that's not all this chapter is about, lucky you! So you can skip over it if you want to continue reading the story but don't want to read hardcore sex.

Also, DEEEEEAAATHHH is in this chapter. Okay, not really. But there is some minor fighting. The End.

And with that, sit back and enjoy the show! :D

WOAH SNAP, I almost forgot to mention that Sailor Moon still doesn't belong to me.

Okay, I actually DID forget, but then I remembered, so technically I didn't forget, right? Beh. Whatever.

--(p.s., I guess ff.n isn't down with lines of... well, lines... anymore, so it'll be this from now on. And now on with the show! Wee!)--

All too soon, the pair reluctantly decided to return to the palace. They knew the luncheon was surely over, but they had other obligations to fulfill that evening. They parted ways in the reception room of the palace, catching each other's infatuated gaze, an unspoken secret between them, and feeling a little like lovesick teenagers.

Michiru returned immediately to her room, where she showered, disentangling the leaves that had collected in her hair. The hot water felt good against her skin, and she smiled as she lathered up her aqua locks, the memory of her recent time spent with Haruka returning to her.

Haruka went to her room as well. She had received some documents from Tachi earlier that day and needed to look over them and sign them. She sat at the desk in her room and went through her papers. It took less time than she expected thanks to Tachi's organizational skills, and afterwards she decided to shower and freshen up, due to her romp in the flower bed with Michiru earlier in the evening. Once she finished her shower, she lay down on her bed, dressed casually, and opened the book she'd been reading as part of her studies.

She tried to get into it, but realized that all her thoughts kept returning to Michiru. She sighed and set the book down on her nightstand, then laid back with her arms folded under her head, staring at the ceiling of the canopy on her bed. She closed her eyes and remembered the way Michiru's lips tasted, and the way her body felt pressed against hers.

She opened her eyes as she heard a knock on the door. In amusement she shook her head- she always seemed to get disturbed at the wrong time lately. She got out of bed, glancing quickly at the clock- it was unusual for a visitor this late, unless it was her partner. She answered the door, not at all surprised that her visitor was Michiru, but slightly startled at the girl's choice of clothing.

The senshi of the ocean stood framed in her doorway, wearing one of Haruka's long-sleeved dress shirts that was still in the aqua-haired girl's possession. One of the buttons was clasped, keeping the upper part of the shirt closed, but the lower part and the cuffs were undone, revealing Michiru's light blue panties, her delicate wrists and her toned, bare thighs.

Haruka swallowed as Michiru's eyes swept over her tall frame. She was standing barefoot in tan pants and a black muscle shirt, her hair still a little damp from her shower, as was, she noticed, Michiru's. "Good evening, Michiru," Haruka said, trying to be casual. "What brings you?"

Michiru smiled, amused at Haruka's attempt at conversation. "May I come in?"

"Of course."

Haruka closed the door behind her and Michiru moved to the center of the room.

"Been working?" she asked smoothly, fiddling with the buttons on the shirt she was wearing.

Haruka nodded, following her partner's gaze. "Tachi had sent me some documents implementing his strategy for the improvement of the economy. I…" she trailed off as she noticed Michiru had unbuttoned her shirt, revealing that she was wearing nothing underneath except the panties she had spied earlier. The thought made her swallow again, hard, as she noticed the newly exposed, smooth skin of Michiru's chest and abdomen.

Michiru moved closer to the blonde, closing the distance between their bodies. She tilted her head up and was rewarded when Haruka kissed her deeply. She let her arms encircle Haruka's waist, her hands shyly prodding under the hem of her shirt. She had never touched the blonde's bare skin in such a manner before, and as her palms caressed the softness of her lower back, she all but gasped at the warmth.

Haruka tensed at the bold touch of the aqua-haired girl. She shivered at the feeling of Michiru's smooth, strong fingers gently teasing her sensitive skin. She pulled back for a moment to gaze into Michiru's intense blue eyes, and found a range of emotions, the strongest being love. She smiled slightly and leaned forward to kiss the juncture of Michiru's neck and jaw, making the other girl shiver in response. She slid her arms around the sensitive artist, embracing her passionately, and met her lips again, not at all surprised when her partner opened her mouth to receive her exploring tongue.

Michiru was aching to be as close as possible to the blonde, needing something that only she could give her. As she felt Haruka's fingers running along her spine, and remembered how those fingers felt touching her earlier in the day, she began to kiss Haruka fiercely, a familiar but still-new throbbing beginning between her legs.

They continued kissing, Haruka's hands becoming more dominant as they moved beneath Michiru's borrowed shirt, hesitantly sliding over toned stomach muscles and reaching the soft fullness of Michiru's breasts. The aqua-haired girl didn't realize she had been holding her breath until she let out slowly, upon finally feeling Haruka's hands cup her breasts. The blonde gently began to massage the other girl's breasts, her thumbs finding the erect nipples and rubbing them softly, eliciting a gasp from her partner. Michiru's back arched involuntarily as Haruka continued to stimulate her aching nipples, her unbuttoned shirt sliding off her shoulders and onto the soft carpet. Each touch made Michiru's sex throb harder and more insistently, until the ache became almost unbearable, and she was moaning into Haruka's mouth. She channeled her desire into her kisses, which became increasingly more devouring- Haruka had to pull away briefly for air, which encouraged Michiru to kiss her neck and jaw, her seductive tongue darting out to lick her skin teasingly, making Haruka tremble. "Michiru," she gasped, nearly overwhelmed by the amount of emotion she was feeling for her partner, which was increasing with every sultry move Michiru made. Her hands were still fondling Michiru's breasts, and the idea alone made her blood surge in excitement.

Michiru was practically panting in the blonde's ear, her fingers dragging lightly down Haruka's back under her shirt, making her body shudder involuntarily. "I want you so much…" she breathed desperately, her nearly-naked figure pressed tightly against her partner. Haruka did not respond verbally; instead, she tightened her grip on Michiru and lifted her roughly off her feet, carrying her to the bed. Michiru wrapped her legs around Haruka's waist as she felt herself being lowered onto her back, Haruka's body above her.

Haruka's mouth was at Michiru's creamy throat, licking and sucking at it gently. She kissed her way down the silky expanse of exposed skin to Michiru's chest, lost in the feel of Michiru's body beneath her. The girl in question cried out softly in painful pleasure as she felt Haruka's teeth biting her gently, leaving a small mark, the proof for later of their amorous activities. She subconsciously wrapped her legs more tightly around the blonde's waist, pulling her in closer to her body. She could feel Haruka's clothed thigh pressed between her legs with only the fabric of her panties to protect her, and as her partner moved to capture her lips again, she began to grind her hips against it, hoping to relieve some of the aching pressure building there. She moaned softly as they kissed, Haruka's thigh pushing against her damp underwear and sending small tremors through her body.

She finally couldn't take anymore. Without ending the passionate kiss she was engaged in, she reached under the blonde and clumsily began to unfasten Haruka's pants, needing to feel the other girl's warm skin against her. Haruka lifted up slightly, allowing Michiru to continue in her mission to remove her pants, and soon she was moving to slide them off, Michiru already pushing off her black shirt hastily. She removed it quickly, and Michiru let out a small, sexy sound as she caught sight of Haruka's nearly nude form. Haruka was only dressed in her black, boy-cut underwear, and Michiru could not resist leaning forward and capturing one of Haruka's nipples in her mouth, which elicited a low, husky moan from the blonde's throat. The sound sent another shiver down Michiru's spine, and her hands moved of their own accord, touching Haruka's toned stomach, tracing the muscles in her abdomen, reaching behind her to caress her firm behind, and sliding up and down her thighs.

Their lips met again, hungrily, and Haruka moved to kiss Michiru's flat stomach, making the other girl arch slightly and shake in anticipation, her thighs trembling nervously as the blonde kissed the slight crevice at the juncture of her hips and thigh. But Haruka merely reached for Michiru's underwear, hooking her fingers in the elastic and pulling the last barrier down Michiru's shapely legs. She kissed the inside of her love's calf softly, then rid herself of her own underwear.

Finally naked, their bodies surged together sensually, a soft sigh of pleasure escaping each of them at the heated contact. Connected, they began to move against each other, feeling each other's arousal against their skin. Haruka was on top, savoring the feeling of Michiru's naked body pressed tightly against her, their lips locked together in fierce, loving combat.

Haruka trailed her fingertips down the side of Michiru's body, letting her journey end at her thigh. She reached between Michiru's legs and found the spot she had teased earlier that day. Michiru broke the kiss to gasp, and Haruka began to kiss the side of her face, her neck, her ear, all the while letting her fingertips tease her hard, slick clit, tracing circles around it and rubbing at her wet entrance.

Michiru moaned desperately, clutching at Haruka's back and bucking her hips constrictedly at her slight touch. She whispered pleadingly in Haruka's ear, begging the blonde to take her, her hot breath making the hair on the back of her partner's neck stand on end. She cried out softly as she finally felt Haruka's fingers enter her slowly, the feeling making her arch off the bed.

Haruka gently pushed her fingers in as deep as she could. She enjoyed the tightness of Michiru's womanhood due to being her first, and the heavy breaths coming from her partner. Pausing momentarily to make sure Michiru was okay, she began to thrust her fingers slowly, starting up a rhythm that was driving her partner into madness. The feeling of being inside Michiru aroused Haruka impossibly further. She realized she was straddling Michiru's thigh, and she began to grind against it slowly, relieving some of the tension in her body. Haruka did not quicken her pace, but let Michiru build slowly. Each gentle thrust took Michiru a step closer to the edge, but the steadiness of her motions allowed Michiru to continue kissing her, though nearly breathless from the intensity of the pleasure she was receiving.

Michiru's thighs began to shake slightly, and Haruka knew she was close. Michiru began to moan louder, her hands clutching Haruka's shoulders for dear life. Haruka held her breath and watched Michirus's face as she felt Michiru's body tense, tightening around her fingers. She let it out as Michiru shivered lightly, and for the first time, she noticed a thin sheen of sweat on the artist's skin. She moved to kiss her, and was surprised at the ferocious kiss Michiru returned, sending a jolt of pleasure down her body. She felt Michiru's hand on her inner thigh, slowly moving towards its destination, and she spread her legs a little, allowing Michiru's fingers to find her more than ready.

She groaned softly as Michiru wasted no time in entering her, and began to move in an out at a speedy pace. Haruka braced herself on one arm, her other hand subconsciously moving to finger her partner again at the same pace she was receiving. They mutually pleasured each other until Haruka reached her climax, collapsing onto her partner shakily, her body trembling lightly.

They kissed breathlessly, Michiru wrapping her arms around Haruka and pressing their bodies together again. They pushed against each other, almost as if they were trying to merge into one body, as they kissed harder. They fell onto their sides, legs intertwining, arms wrapped tightly around each other, fitting together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Michiru pushed Haruka onto her back, rolling on top of her, and within moments the two were having a silent wrestling contest, playfully fighting for dominance, their lips never parting.

Finally, Michiru ended up on top, her hands pressing Haruka's firmly to the bed above their heads, their noses touching. She kissed the blonde softly, then gently bit her lower lip, letting her tongue tease her as Haruka kissed back. "I'm so in love with you," Michiru murmured, still unsatisfied that their bodies could not be physically closer. She kissed her again, passionately, and Haruka had to pull away for air.

"Michiru," she gasped, her teal eyes never leaving the intense blue ones before her. She did not return the phrase, but Michiru saw it in her lover's overwhelmed expression. Haruka swallowed at the intensity of what she was feeling, her heart threatening to break from the amount of emotions bursting inside it. She simply kissed her partner again, letting their feelings take them where they would. Tonight was their night, and she had nowhere to be, and no one else she'd rather be with than the woman in her arms.

--

It seemed like they had just fallen asleep when they were jolted awake by an ear-splittingly loud, high-pitched siren. Automatically they climbed out of bed, still naked, and summoned their henshin sticks, a brief, serious glance cast between them as they noticed the time- it was 3:47AM. Hastily, they transformed and were out of the room as quickly as possible, sprinting swiftly down the hall and arriving at the briefing room on the other side of the palace in record time.

They were the first senshi to arrive, but within minutes all of the inner senshi had appeared, all transformed and looking as alert and on edge as they were. Queen Serenity was standing, looking worse than ever, her eyes hauntingly empty and her posture sagging slightly with exhaustion.

She swallowed a few times as the senshi stood, awaiting tensely for the cause of their emergency summons. "I… There's been…" she started shakily, "…an attack."

The inners gasped, and Neptune caught Mars's eyes. They shared an intense understanding, for they had both seen this coming. Neptune noticed the shred of terror in Mars's expression and became even more concerned.

"Where?" Venus asked. "Who's being attacked?"

Queen Serenity looked into the distance for a moment before replying carefully, "The planet Mars. Mars is under attack." Another gasp rippled through the inners, and Mars shut her eyes in agony, bracing for the rest of the bad news. She had had a bad feeling in her bones all day that had only intensified as the night went on, and she knew it had to do with her planet. Neptune placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"The Dark Kingdom has attacked with its entire army. Even as we speak, the planet is being torn apart, destroyed."

"Then what are we waiting here for?" Jupiter asked suddenly, looking around at the rest of the senshi. "We need to go, now, and stop them!"

"I'm afraid that would be impossible," Queen Serenity said sadly. "The Dark Kingdom used the luncheon to its advantage- while we were busy, they took the opportunity to gather their forces and launch an assault. The battle has been going on for hours, but because of the sudden surprise of it, it was hard for Mars to get messengers out and summon for help. Now I fear that the planet has been overtaken too much for us to risk sending you there. Mercury, if you would do some calculations, I'm sure you would agree."

As if on cue, Mercury produced her small computer book, and began to type in some calculations and statistics, punching up data. After a few anticipated moments, she frowned. "The Queen is right. Even at this distance, the dark energy permeating from Mars is so intense, my computer was able to pick it up without performing a complete scan. We are greatly outnumbered and victory would seem impossible." She set her computer down, and looked up at Mars, who was visibly shaking, her fists at her sides. "I'm afraid Mars cannot be saved."

At those words, Sailor Moon began to cry. "But there has to be a way! There just has to be!" At her pleading cry, the other senshi were eerily quiet. Queen Serenity continued to stare into the distance, seemingly indifferent on the outside, but harboring more pain than she wished her young senshi to discover on the inside.

Venus exploded suddenly. "We can't just sit here and do nothing, everyone! We're the Sailor Senshi! This is exactly what the Dark Kingdom wants!" She looked around angrily. "We have to go to Mars and fight this! Come on!"

At her angry demand, Sailor Moon stood up beside her, ready to encourage the others to teleport, when suddenly, Mars moved furiously, her fists clenched in rage. She grabbed Venus's arm tightly, so tightly that Venus flinched, but she did not back down as Mars got right up in her face.

"Did you not understand Mercury?" she grated through clenched teeth. "We will _all die_ if we attempt to save my planet. We cannot risk losing even one of us at a time like this. All of us are crucial. My planet… is…" She turned her face away suddenly, took a few deep, shaking breaths, and regained her composure. She let go of Venus's arm, and stepped back, addressing everyone in the room. "Sacrifices have to be made. They have to be." At the resulting silence, Mars moved to a chair far away from the others, and sat, facing away.

Neptune and Uranus stood in shock. Mars… lost? It was a hard blow, and one that was not easy to take. They all were quietly processing for a moment before Venus spoke quietly to the two older senshi.

"What does this mean?"

Uranus, who had been studying certain aspects of the planets for this particular reason, looked at Venus. "It means a lot of things," she began carefully. "Out of all of the planets in our system, Mars has the strongest, largest, and most well-trained army. If the Dark Kingdom can defeat them, then the rest of the solar system should be no problem." She paused as the others considered her words. "I suspect that's why they chose Mars over any of the other inner planets- not only would they have overcome the strongest line of defense, but the planet is also the most ideal location to launch a large-scale future attack against the moon, and us."

The room was still eerily quiet. The Queen was motionless, as if she'd been frozen in place. Venus stood defiantly, determined to figure out a way, but knowing deep down that it was hopeless. Her bravado was mostly to keep the others' hopes alive, though she knew they were sinking lower with each moment. Sailor Moon was still crying, only quieter, the tears silently making their way down her pink cheeks. Mars was completely devastated. She was slumped over in a chair, looking like a withered flower with a broken stem, her processing of the news making her insides almost feel as though they were eating themselves. She did not cry- she had surpassed that stage of sorrow and sat, quietly, in utter horror and shock.

Neptune locked eyes with Uranus and they both exchanged a knowing, serious glance.

"Don't forget that the Earth is also under attack," Jupiter pointed out slowly. "Which means…"

"Which means we are surrounded by two planets, both on their way to being controlled by the Dark Kingdom," Neptune stated.

"The Dark Kingdom's forces must be extremely great if they are fighting on two fronts simultaneously," Mercury added sadly. "I'm afraid our chances of overcoming them are very low."

"Don't talk like that, Mercury," Venus said firmly. "We're still here. We're still the Sailor Senshi, and we weren't given these powers to give up against unbeatable odds. We have to trust in ourselves and our training. We can't give in now."

"Venus is right," Sailor Moon agreed, wiping her eyes with the back of her gloved hand. "We have to--"

Just then Mercury's computer light began to blink, and a loud, shrill beeping sounded continuously. Mercury looked curiously at the screen, which had a flashing section of the screen. She stood up excitedly. "There's a safe landing point on Mars," she said seriously. "But I can't guarantee how long it will stay that way."

Venus punched her fist into her other hand. "All right, everyone! This is the moment of truth! Every second counts! Do we do this, or not?"

"It's now or never," Mercury added.

"I won't just sit here and do nothing," Jupiter stated with a slight nod towards Venus and Moon. Mars looked up, but remained silent. Uranus and Neptune nodded after a moment's hesitation. They knew they couldn't stop the inners from teleporting, so they opted to aid and protect, rather than watch them be destroyed.

"Let's go," Venus urged, sticking her hand out. The other senshi all placed their hands on top, and in a flash, they were transported to Mars. They barely had a chance to take in their surroundings before they heard a terrible battle cry, and looked across the plain Martian desert to see a sea of daimons moving to attack them.

"Here they come!" Mercury exclaimed, as the daimons nearly flew at top speed to the point where they had landed.

"Everyone, get ready!" Venus shouted, running into formation. The other inners quickly moved into a battle stance and braced themselves for the attack, which happened much faster than they had originally anticipated. Uranus and Neptune had helped strengthen the formation and were a little better prepared, but still did not fare as well as they had hoped.

The first wave of daimons hit them, speeding past, their blade appendages slashing into unprotected skin. The senshi had seconds to gather their bearings and summon attacks before the second wave of daimons hit them full force.

Uranus had angrily met several of the daimons head-on with her sword, and had a slight advantage in defending herself over the others who had no immediate weapons. Neptune had produced her mirror and was finishing off many of the daimons on the front lines, along with Mars, who was using her bow to shoot arrows of flame, defending the other inner senshi long enough for them to power up and throw their attacks.

Unfortunately, the daimons' numbers proved much more effective, and a quick survey by Mercury and Neptune confirmed they were surrounded.

"We have to retreat," Uranus called to Neptune between literally disarming a daimon and being tackled to the ground by another. Neptune finished off the daimon on top of Uranus and pulled her to her feet.

"I agree," she said, and Uranus winced at the many cuts dotting Neptune's exposed skin.

Seconds later they were engaged in yet another battle, and after a small victory, they fought their way to the other senshi, who were holding their ground but tiring fast.

"We need to get out of here," Uranus commanded to Venus.

"No! We can win!" Venus said as she targeted a daimon. "CRESCENT BEAM!"

The daimon vaporized, but another was already there to replace it. Venus watched in disbelief. "CRESCENT BEAM! CRESCENT BEAM!"

"STOP," Uranus growled, grabbing her arm. "We need to go!"

"We can't abandon this planet," Venus said stubbornly, continuing to angrily pelt the advancing daimons with her planetary attack.

"We can't die, either, or there will be no one to defend the Moon Kingdom!" Uranus argued. Venus opened her mouth to reply but they were both knocked over by two daimons that had flung themselves at them. Uranus impaled hers with a sword and shoved it off her, looking over to where Venus had done the same, only she was sporting a large gash on her forearm.

"It's now or never," Neptune called, and Uranus grabbed Venus's uninjured arm.

"I know it hurts, Minako. But sacrifices have to be made," Uranus said firmly, her heart aching at the tears welling up in Venus's eyes. Venus nodded and followed Uranus back to the other senshi, who were all wounded in some form or another.

They circled up and clasped hands just as another wave of daimons came, and in a flash they were back in the briefing room, sprawled on the floor in utter shock, panting and covered in a mixture of blood, Martian soil, and Dark Kingdom ooze.

Queen Serenity was deeply concerned, but not surprised at the state of the returning senshi. She had admired their brave foolishness for trying to win an impossible battle- it reminded her very much of the senshi she had fought side-by-side with in another time and place, and how they had often thought themselves unbeatable. She quickly summoned doctors to tend to the many wounds, but she knew that the knowledge of realizing they were able to be defeated was a wound that could not be healed easily. She briefly recalled her own painful awareness of that fact before the senshi began to talk.

"We're lucky we made it out alive," Neptune stated.

Venus winced. "I'm sorry, everyone. I thought we could defeat them."

"Don't blame yourself, Minako," Mercury said painfully from her position on the floor. She couldn't stand due to the stab wound she'd received in her thigh, which was still bleeding, although she'd taken the proper medical steps to subdue it.

"Yeah, we all agreed to try and stop the Dark Kingdom," Jupiter assured. She had suffered numerous cuts and scrapes, but out of the inners, had come out with the least harm done to her. "It wasn't only your decision to save Mars."

"The question is, what do we do now? Mars is lost for sure, and we didn't prevent anything from happening," Moon said, sitting in a chair carefully. Her back had been gouged deeply and she had a deep cut above her eye.

"I'm not sure that can be answered right now," Uranus said softly as the doctors the Queen had summoned arrived on the scene.

"Okay then, for now, let's return to bed. Tomorrow, once we've rested, we'll brainstorm ideas for what course of action we should take," Venus planned, snapping into leadership mode. There was no protest from the other senshi, or from the Queen, who sat, crumpled and silent, looking as miserable as they did, if not more.

"Our days are numbered," Mars said, breaking the silence. It was the first time she had spoken since her outburst, and her voice seemed hollow, almost unrecognizable as having come from the black-haired senshi. She looked around the room, meeting eyes with each of the others. "It's only a matter of time, now…"

**--**

**Author's Note (I mean obviously, who else would it be besides me?):**

**I'd like to point out that, interestingly enough, Mars would've been able to sustain life a bazillion years ago back when the Earth was forming into a planet to sustain life, but due to its distance from the sun and it's atmosphere, the natural water cycle of Mars (you know, precipitation, condensation, rain, etc.) began to falter and the water dried up, and life never progressed. Or something.**

**Fascinating, eh? Even now, scientists have discerned that a colony on Mars is possible and that we have the technology and the resources to make it successful. It's just a matter of finding the right people to start one… (people who enjoy solitude and living in a bubble… you know… that whole thing… hahaha)**

**All right, I'm gonna shut up now. Just thought I'd share, because it really was pretty darn cool for me. :D**

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Only a few more to go, and they are pretty dark. But I hope that won't deter you from reading, because as I've promised, the story will have a happy ending. I'm true to the series, I hope…

As always, thanks for all the reviews on the previous chapters. Taking time out of your day just to write little ol' me makes me smile.

See ya next time, pals!


	14. Memorial

Oh hey ya'll. ;)

So, I had some time off from school and was able to write another chapter. That's the good news. The bad news is, my summer vacation ended two days ago, lol, and now I have summer classes, _Othello_ rehearsals, and my job on top of it. But I'm still going to try and write... I mean, we're in the home stretch here! Haha.

Anyways. There's no sex in this chapter, or graphic death. But there is some death, and some sad shiznit. So, sorry if it depresses you... I hope it doesn't... nobody likes to be depressed...

Meeeh. Sailor Moon don't belong to me... (yet. Hey, I'm working on it. ;)

Okay. I'mma shuttup now. Have fun.

--

Time- something the Moon Kingdom had little of.

Time… before the Dark Kingdom rallied their forces and attacked them from both fronts. They already knew they could not fight the Dark Kingdom on their territory, and before long, it wouldn't matter, as their enemy's forces would be strong enough to overcome anything.

They were truly helpless.

There was a certain sense of unease as the senshi gathered together later that evening. Queen Serenity had matters to attend to, and was not part of the meeting, much to the senshi's dismay. As they each arrived in the lounge, looking somewhat refreshed but still incredibly exhausted physically and mentally, they took a seat on one of the many plush couches and acknowledged the bandaged wounds of their comrades.

"Welcome, everyone," Minako began, leaning forward in her seat. "I know that we're all tired, but time is of the utmost importance right now."

"Right, Mina," Haruka agreed. "We have to come up with an immediate plan of retaliation in order to even have a chance of winning this fight. Our window of victory is closing fast, and the longer we wait, the less time we will have to prepare for what is coming."

There was a pause as the rest of the senshi absorbed her words.

"So, with that being said, does anyone--" Mina started, only to be interrupted by a strong, clear male voice.

"Excuse me."

The senshi looked up and discovered Prince Endymion, from Earth, standing in the doorway. Haruka was on her feet in an instant, ready to summon her talisman if need be. Michiru did not look worried, only amused, and she watched as the prince stepped forward into the room and bowed slightly.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," he apologized. "But the queen summoned me to participate in your brainstorming. You see, I have previously offered my services to her, and I would be eternally grateful to discover any opportunity where my planet may be of assistance."

Dazzled, Minako laughed slightly. "Of course!" she said. "Please, come have a seat."

The prince nodded, and moved into the room, sitting on the end of the couch opposite Usagi, who cast him a small, secretive glance.

Haruka and Michiru smiled at each other as Minako began to talk again.

"Right, so, as I was saying... we need to propose a plan of defense," Minako continued.

"Well, it seems that the Dark Kingdom will eventually make its way here. We obviously are too few in number to stop its advancing, so we have to try and outsmart it somehow," Ami started carefully.

"If we're too few in number, then we should call for help," Makoto pointed out. "Obviously right here is their focus, their concentration. So if they make it here and we stop them, then we win."

"Who can we call for help from?" Usagi asked.

"Any planet that hasn't been attacked yet," Michiru replied.

"And also my planet," Endymion interjected. "We still have a cache of warriors loyal to my planet that can aid us."

Minako nodded. "So we call for help from other planets. Besides Earth, who do we have left?"

"As far as the inner planets are concerned, Mercury and Jupiter, and your planet, Mina," Rei stated softly.

"I don't know how helpful my planet is going to be," Minako stated guiltily. "We are not a people of war, or of fighting."

"Every person counts," Haruka pointed out. "Remember the Dark Kingdom is winning solely based on numbers, not on skill."

Minako nodded. "Right. What about the outer planets?"

"Saturn, of course," Michiru began. "And I'm sure my father would lend strength to our cause." She glanced at Haruka.

"We're still recovering from our previous battle, but this may be the last one for all of us if we do not make a stand," Haruka said. "I will summon whoever is capable to fight with us."

"Good. That settles that. We will call for help from the planets. What other steps can we do?"

"When the final battle does come, we may need an evacuation plan," Rei mentioned.

"That sounds reasonable," Mina agreed.

"Reasonable, but unlikely," Ami stated. "How would we evacuate so many people in such a short time?"

"True," Makoto stated. "Perhaps we could build a shelter of some sort?"

"You mean a type of stronghold, or a defensive structure, to protect them during the battle, don't you, Mako?" Michiru asked.

"That's right," the princess of Jupiter stated.

"The only problem is locating a secure enough structure and location," Ami explained. "It would have to hold the entire civilian population, as well."

"Or more," Rei whispered darkly, though it did not go unnoticed by Michiru, who sent her a worried, knowing look.

"All of these suggestions are great," Haruka started carefully, "But the important thing is the sense of urgency. The suggestions could work, but they need to be started immediately to do so."

Minako nodded. "Of course. We've decided several courses of action. Tomorrow we finalize our plan and put it into motion." She looked at the clock, then to her comrades. "It's late, everyone," she began. "I think we should continue this meeting tomorrow… after all, we need sleep, and time to heal from our last battle."

The rest of the senshi agreed, and Endymion consented to stay the night in the palace.

"Rei," Usagi started gently, approaching the fiery young princess of Mars, a people that no longer existed.

"Yes?" Rei asked, her voice a cross between cheerfully fake and empty.

"Well, I just wanted to see if you were all right," Usagi continued, placing a hand on her shoulder and looking into the other girl's eyes.

Rei forced a smile. "Of course I'm all right. I'm fine. Everything's fine."

Usagi furrowed her eyebrows in disbelief. "Rei, I know that everything's not fine. It's okay to--"

"Would you just get off my case?!" Rei exploded suddenly, angrily, drawing the attention of all the other senshi and Endymion. "I'm fine, all right?! It's no big deal!"

"How can you be so insensitive?!" Usagi yelled, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. "That was your family! How can you take that so easily?!"

Makoto placed a comforting hand on Usagi's shoulder and the blonde pigtailed girl began to sob uncontrollably on the taller girl's shoulder, evoking pity in the senshi of Jupiter, whose eyes began to tear up.

Rei gritted her teeth, using all her will to stop tears from falling from her own eyes. "I KNOW THAT," she screamed, the tears finally winning the battle and cascading down her face. "Don't you think I know that?! That wasn't just my family, Usagi! That was my whole world! My… whole… I…" She stopped talking then and was overtaken by a scream of anguish, which reverberated off the walls in the lounge as she collapsed to the floor, crying.

The other senshi stood quietly as Rei's loud, sorrowful sobs filled the room, the atmosphere incredibly heavy and uncomfortable. Minako moved forward to embrace the stricken senshi of Mars, her own eyes brimming with tears for the fallen planet.

Michiru crept her hand into Haruka's, who squeezed it in turn, and they stood in silence, absorbing the flying emotions taking place in the room.

After tense moments with the only sounds being hysterical crying, Rei began to calm down, and she sat crumpled in miserable silence, temporarily cried out.

Minako whispered gently to her and cupped her face, then gave her a brief hug and stood. "We'll continue this tomorrow," she said softly, addressing the rest of the senshi.

They all nodded, and, with a regretful look of pity and understanding towards Rei, began to exit the room.

--

"Haruka," Michiru murmured, enveloping the taller girl in her embrace. They had napped earlier in the day before the meeting, and were curled together on Michiru's bed, the glow of the Earth shining in through her balcony doors' windows and casting a gentle glow on the two of them. Michiru ran her fingers through the soft blonde hair of her partner, kissing the other girl's temple. "I love you," she whispered.

Haruka took her hand and kissed her open palm, feeling the hand trace its way down to cup her cheek. She leaned into the aqua-haired woman's touch, and gazed deeply into her eyes. "Michiru," she breathed. She felt on edge. She knew there was something up with her partner. She leaned down to kiss her tenderly, surprised when the artist pulled her down roughly into a passionate kiss.

She pulled back after a moment, gasping for air. "What is it?" she asked breathlessly, concerned.

Michiru closed her eyes briefly. "I feel uneasy," she began in a barely audible voice. Haruka let her forehead rest against her partner's.

"And..?" she whispered.

"And I have a bad feeling," Michiru continued, her voice taking on a sense of fear Haruka had never heard before. It was enough to make the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

She had never been truly scared before…

But Michiru's feelings had never been wrong.

--

The next day the senshi were gathered early in the morning and began to fine-tune the details of their plan of action. They now had a location for their defense stronghold which was accessible from the Palace, and they had a possible equation system to determine the number of the Dark Kingdom's fighting strength ratio compared to their own.

They also decided which planets they would contact, and how many troops they would need from each. They were right in the midst of finalizing the details when Michiru and Rei both got a sudden flash of pain, enough to make them both cry out.

The rest of the senshi stopped to check on their condition, and they both assured that they were fine, but neither could shake the intense feeling of dread that was suddenly attached to them. The meeting continued after some slight hesitation.

"Endymion, how many fighters do you think you would be able to send to our aid?" Minako asked.

"Well, conditions on my planet are rapidly deteriorating," the young prince of Earth stated sadly. "But I can guarantee at least a hundred and fifty soldiers, given enough time to rally and round them up."

"Great," Minako said with a smile. "Ami, add that up on the list."

The blue-haired genius wrote down some figures and began to punch some numbers into her mini supercomputer. "At this rate, it looks like we may have enough power to at least equal that of the Dark Kingdom, so long as the Outers are able to keep up the same rate of added forces."

"That's awesome," Usagi said as she snacked on a small cake.

"And if we can equal their forces on the ground, all we will need is a slight edge to overtake them," Ami finished.

"A slight edge… like a dozen sailor senshi?" Makoto asked with a sly grin.

"Maybe," Minako said back just as hopeful.

Endymion smiled. "It's good to know that our window of opportunity hasn't completely shut."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth when the door burst open, and Queen Serenity stumbled in, distraught, tears lining her face. At once all of the senshi were on their feet, rushing to support their Queen, who had practically fainted.

"Your Majesty!"

"Gone…" she choked.

"Your Majesty, what's gone?" Haruka questioned.

"Is it Mars?" Minako asked regretfully at Rei's painful expression, but half-hoping that's what it was, though a tightening feeling of dread in her stomach told her otherwise.

"No," she cried, clutching onto Usagi's shoulders fiercely before sinking, undignified, onto her knees. "Saturn."

"Wh.. What?" Minako asked in disbelief. "No…"

"Yes, it's true," Luna said tearfully, and for the first time the senshi noticed that she and Artemis had accompanied the queen into the room, both of them looking as distraught as their ruler. She hung her head and began to cry, and Artemis continued, "Saturn was completely destroyed. Not even the planet remains."

Minako reeled back as if she'd been hit.

No.

It couldn't be. They could not take another loss, not now. The Outer planets were their only hope, _Saturn_ was their only hope. Saturn was the best defended out of all the planets of the system, and the most heavily armed with orbital weapons, hidden well among the life-sustaining rings encircling the barren planet. But now…

"What about Hotaru?" Usagi asked, the room suddenly growing eerily quiet. Michiru met Rei's eyes from across the group of senshi, and in that instant felt tears rushing to her eyes, overwhelming emotion surfacing from deep inside her.

"Gone," the queen sobbed.

"Gone?" Makoto repeated emptily, her eyes meeting Ami's.

Usagi stumbled backwards into a chair, her mother's head collapsing into her lap. Rei placed a hand on Usagi's shoulder, her other fist clenched, and her head down, allowing the tears to flow freely. Endymion placed his hand on her other shoulder but he was at a loss for words. Hotaru? He only knew that she was so young… and that any loss of a life was a terrible thing, especially a child's.

"She was on Mimas when the Dark Kingdom attacked," Artemis explained painfully, a slight tear forming in his left eye. "They didn't even have a chance to prepare, nor retaliate. They were completely annihilated…"

Haruka felt her throat growing constricted, her breathing becoming more of a struggle as she felt tears clouding her vision. Little Hotaru, gone just like that?

"We think it may be a warning to any other planets who might be thinking of resisting Dark Kingdom rule," Luna added through sobs. "How horrible... Hotaru..!"

Makoto sat down in another chair in shock, joining the others in crying. She couldn't believe something like this could happen in such an instant, while they were powerless to stop it, even as senshi. She suddenly felt very insignificant, and mourned the loss of her neighboring friendly Outer planet. She had visited the rings many times as a child, and the thought of them being completely wiped out was unbearable.

Minako, too, was at a loss. Of all the things she expected from the Dark Kingdom, all the scenarios she had predicted and played out, she never expected something as devastating as the blows they had just been given recently. She stood staring into space, pondering the question of why, why, why couldn't they have done something to prevent such a tragedy? They were the sailor senshi- why couldn't they stop it?

Ami understood, now, that they were fighting a losing battle. She had done her best to produce solutions to problems they had never even dreamed they would face, but her own helplessness to solve this problem, and the overall tragic event and loss of life left her sobbing uncontrollably into her hands, her shoulders shaking from the spasms of her tears.

Haruka felt the rage building in her. She was so full of hurt that she became angry- why couldn't it have been her? Hotaru was so young, so innocent. She recalled the Answering ceremony, and how the purple-haired girl had bravely insisted she take up her duty… if she never had, would she still be alive? Would she have been spared? Haruka could not answer, she could only punch the wall in frustration and pain, gritting her teeth to hold back tears.

In the back of her mind, Michiru dully noticed that Haruka had punched the wall. She was absorbed in her own thoughts and her own sense of dread that she had been right in knowing something terrible was about to happen. However, the feeling did not go away with the sense of having realized it was accurate, leaving Michiru to believe something even more terrible was on its way, though Michiru could hardly fathom such a thing. She stood clasping her hands before her, allowing her tears to fall as they would, but knowing she was much too pained to express solely in tears.

No one moved for the rest of the evening. No one disturbed them. They were each simply lost in their own thoughts, fears, and sorrows, but in the presence of loved ones who could share the pain they were each going through; for many of them it was the only thing keeping them in touch with reality, knowing that someone else felt what they were going through.

--

Within days there was a memorial service held on the moon for those lost on Mars and Saturn. Each of the senshi and Endymion attended, dressed in their own respective outfit of mourning according to their planet's customs. It was a somber, solemn event that dampened everyone's spirits, and knowledge that there were seven other services just like it taking place at around the same time on seven other planets brought the large scale severity of their situation home.

Nobody spoke, not even in remembrance at the service. It was simply a bunch of Lunites and the senshi gathering to recall their own memories of the two planets, which made the comfortable, heavy silence even more peacefully in tact.

After the service, the senshi retired to be alone with their thoughts, resolving to have another meeting in another day, this time involving the queen, to get their plan into action. They were running out of time at a rapid rate, and each was acutely aware of it.

Haruka and Michiru, though they had been stoic and detached at the memorial, returned to Haruka's room that night, crawled into the blonde's bed, and held each other, letting their tears fall freely in the presence of their partner. They talked about their future fears and reaffirmed their feelings, but mostly, cried at the loss of the lives of not only innocent civilians, but comrades of theirs. They fell asleep to their own light sobbing, holding each other tightly as if it might ease the pain, and wishing they could take it away from their partner.

--

Okay, sorry if it was a little dramatic and depressing. But eh, with a show like Othello on my plate, it's kind of rubbing off on me... hahaha. O villainy, villainy! ;)

As usual, thanks for the fantastic reviews. I love all of you. And your reviews. Which I still print out and keep under my pillow, just so you know...

The next chapter won't be so depressing... next chapter will be the ball celebrating Usagi's birthday... but as we are in our final days here, it can never be all it's cracked up to be... -cue mysterious music-

Ehh. Heh...

Anyways. See ya next time, pals!


	15. The Beginning of the End

Oh heeey.

I don't know what inspired me to write this chapter tonight, considering I have two term papers whose due dates are looming in the too-soon future that I have not even started on yet... but who am I to argue when inspiration strikes?

Exactly.

So here's the fruits of my labor. I apologize that there is no violence, no death, and not really any sex in this chapter. LOL. Not that that's a bad thing, I guess...

Sailor Moon does not belong to me... all in good time, my pretties, all in good time...

And now, back to our show! ;)

--

Over the next few days, the other planets in the solar system responded to the moon's request for a last stand. Transports began to arrive on the moon from every corner of the galaxy.

Queen Serenity had done her best to avoid widespread panic throughout the solar system, and instead had promoted awareness of the fact that the Dark Kingdom was invading and preparedness for if and when they arrived. She had warned the planets even before Mars was taken, but they had shrugged it off as a standard precaution. Now, with the destruction of two planets having occurred, and unknown others looming in the distance, the royalties were taking everything seriously. Despite the Queen's diplomatic reasoning and call for calm, the transports that arrived on the moon contained small amounts of troops, if they even arrived at all.

Many of the transports were gunned down and destroyed by roaming Dark Kingdom pirates. The Dark Kingdom had quickly discovered that the transports contained soldiers and in an effort to cut them off before they could rally and defeat them, they picked them off one by one.

This did not help Queen Serenity's cause in the least, for home planets were already reluctant in sending away troops, convinced that if they sent too many away they would fall to destruction as Saturn and Mars had. The Queen had no argument that would stand up to their rebuttal- it was no use explaining that Mars and Saturn had the best defenses in the solar system and still fell.

Within a week all preparations and defenses had been set into place on the Moon, and the Queen made a bold decision.

"Everyone," she said to the gathered senshi and her own court, "As we all know, my daughter's scheduled masquerade birthday ball is this week, and I have decided, despite the danger, that it shall remain so. We shall carry on, as planned. Usagi shall have her birthday party… it may be the last celebration we have." Her grim words hung in the air for a moment before she excused herself and left, leaving a stunned court and a concerned senshi team.

The Queen met with the senshi after the formal announcement.

"Your Majesty?" Ami asked in disbelief.

"It sounds foolish, I understand," the Queen agreed. "But, with all of the royalty nearby, diplomats, aristocrats and others, we will proceed with the transportation lockdown. After all, we agreed that the palace would be our stronghold against the Dark Kigdom attack- everyone will already be located here. We can escort them to the safety rooms we have prepared, and carry out our plans. We have three days."

--

The next day, the Queen was surprised with a visit from Pluto. The Guardian of Time appeared very suddenly, startling the troubled ruler with her presence.

"Your Majesty," Pluto started stoically.

"Yes?"

"I must… leave now. For the Gate of Time."

The Queen swallowed and looked into Pluto's eyes. The information hit her like a hard blow. She hadn't realized the severity of their situation until Pluto said those words. The Guardian returning to the Gate meant only one grim thing.

They would die.

The Queen took a sudden raspy breath, reaching blindly for a chair to sit in. Pluto caught her grasp and guided her to a nearby chair, which the Queen merely leaned on.

"Setsuna," the Queen started hollowly.

"I'm so sorry," Pluto suddenly burst, tears welling up in her eyes, a single one streaking down her cheek, "so sorry, Your Majesty."

"Now, Setsuna," Queen Serenity began shakily, her own eyes tearing up, "Don't apologize for doing your duty."

"I just wish there was something I could do, but I can't. I just can't, Serenity. Please understand, I can't…" Pluto was sobbing, and Queen Serenity felt her heart breaking. This poor girl… how many times had she witnessed the death of her friends and loved ones, standing by helplessly?

The Queen stood up tall, and suddenly pulled Pluto to her, embracing her in a tender hug. "Setsuna, shh," Queen Serenity said soothingly, rubbing the other girl's back. "I understand. I don't blame you at all, Setsuna… Shhh."

Pluto straightened up after a moment, her eyes still brimming with tears that she contained, but barely. "Setsuna," the Queen started, placing a hand on the Time Senshi's shoulder and catching her gaze, "_I_ am sorry. Sorry that you will have to witness what will surely come, sorry that you are powerless to stop it, and sorry that you have to bear this torture."

Pluto nodded sadly, her gaze averted to the floor, too ashamed to say anything in response other than, "Thank you, Your Majesty." She tried to smile, sadly, and with one last mournful glance at the Queen, she disappeared as quickly and quietly as she had come.

The Queen, now alone, sat down into the chair beside her and cried.

--

"What do you suppose the Queen wanted with us, Haruka?" Michiru asked as she and her partner walked together, hand-in-hand, to the Queen's audience chamber. Normally they would not be so public about their affection, but both knew that their time together was limited. In knowing so, they found themselves much clingier than usual, trying to make up for time they knew would be stolen from them. Their lovemaking had become quick and passionate, occurring more frequently as opportunities arose. It was after one such session that they had received the Queen's summons.

"Perhaps she wanted to go over her defense again? We are her makeshift guards once the attack starts," Haruka returned, squeezing Michiru's hand softly.

Once arrived, they were met by Queen Serenity's gaunt expression. She tried to force a smile, but she could not fool the two Outer senshi.

"Haruka, Michiru," the Queen greeted wearily. "Please, come in. I have important news."

The pair approached the Queen, bowed gently, and waited.

Queen Serenity took a deep breath. "Pluto has returned to the Gate of Time."

The two senshi gasped. They did not know what that meant for sure, for they had only heard whispers and legends of the significance. But the Queen did not leave it up to them to interpret.

"You may know that this means we are all destined for utter annihilation," she continued. "Surely, Michiru, you have sensed this."

Haruka exploded. "There must be something we can do!" She looked helplessly at her partner, hoping for a response, a protest, anything. Michiru shook her head wordlessly, sadly, silently accepting what she knew in her heart was true all along.

The Queen spoke on. "There is no doubt that we will all die... But we must do all we can. There is still a chance for rebirth, and, let us not forget that each of us has the power to change our own future." She swallowed shakily, her last words coming out wobbled. "Please, as a favor to me, do not alert the others to the information I have just given them. I would… protect them… from the burden of knowing their deaths are at hand. They are still so young, and the knowledge would consume them."

Haruka and Michiru only nodded. Michiru was lost in her own thoughts of foreboding, and Haruka was too shocked at the certainty of defeat.

"I apologize for placing this burden on you two; however, I wanted you to be prepared, as I am sure the two of you would be the ones strongest enough to attempt a rescue should the others fall… but we must remember our mission… and our fate."

--

On the way back to their quarters, in a daze, they ran into Rei, who could instantly tell from their dampened spirits that something was drastically wrong. She caught Michiru's unshielded gaze and knew, in that instant, the burden that had been thrust upon the two older senshi. She sensed the beginnings of tears, but instead felt Michiru's hand on her shoulder, their eyes locked in understanding.

"You know," the water senshi said quietly. "But please, as hard as it may be, understand, and keep it secret from the others."

Rei nodded. "I do understand, and I won't disclose, Michiru." She smiled sadly. "I'm sorry."

Michiru returned the sorrowful smile. "Me, too."

They parted ways and the pair continued, undisturbed, to Michiru's room, where, once inside, they embraced and fell into a fit of bittersweet passion, the desperation and need in their touches unlike anything they had experienced before.

When they finally collapsed, exhausted, they held each other tightly, lost in their own worlds of thought about what was to come.

--

The masquerade ball in honor of Usagi's birthday came sooner than they had expected. The turnout was astronomical considering the peril plaguing the solar system. Not a single transport was pirated by the Dark Kingdom. It was eerie to the senshi, for they had expected at least one or two to be destroyed, if not all of them; but it seemed that the Dark Kingdom knew they were civilians, almost as if they encouraged the gathering of them on the moon…

…or that they had other things to do.

Neither idea sat well with the senshi, but they attempted to take their minds off of the troubling thoughts and focus on the happiness of Usagi's birthday.

The aristocrats, royalties, and other high-class parties showed up without fail, and without fear. For, they reasoned, as bad as the solar system was, it was not grounds to pass up an invitation to a masquerade birthday ball, and they had made the plans months in advance, and had nothing but the utmost faith in the Moon's defense systems and the sailor senshi.

Usagi was dressed in a gown that matched the Queen's, and she looked beautiful and princess-like- much more mature and sophisticated than she had ever been in the past. It almost seemed that she possessed a sudden grace, like she was a different person.

Haruka and Michiru observed the princess from afar, proud of the regal aura she was emitting, and of her flawless ladylike behavior. They sipped their wine casually, stealing secretive, longing glances at each other through their masks. As much as they enjoyed their social front, and time spent with their fellow senshi, in these final days they would have rather have spent their time together and alone.

Haruka sighed and caught her partner's deep blue eyes through the eyehole in her partial face mask. She extended her hand gallantly and smiled a brilliant smile that made Michiru's heart flutter. "Shall we dance, then?"

Michiru's eyes danced with radiant happiness through her own mask, which was framed with delicate, brightly colored scales, and in response she placed her own slender hand in her partner's and let herself be led out onto the dance floor.

They had not danced together since their intimate relationship had been forged. Suddenly, dancing to them became very familiar and sensual as they pressed ever closer, unafraid of the close proximity as they had been before. To the contrary, they craved it.

As they spun and moved elegantly across the dance floor, seemingly lost in their own world, they noticed Usagi dancing just as elegantly with Prince Endymion, whose eyes were disguised beneath a mask. To anyone else he would have seemed a normal guest, but to those who knew him, his stance and powerful presence marked him as the Prince of the Earth. He gently guided Usagi across the dance floor, the two of them lost in hushed, serious conversation.

After a number of dances Haruka and Michiru escaped to an adjacent balcony, noticing out of the corner of their eye that Endymion and the princess had done the same with a separate balcony on the opposite end. Haruka led Michiru outside, and pulled her close into her slightly shaking arms.

"Michiru," she said breathlessly, reaching up fervently to push the mask covering the artist's features from her face. Simultaneously, Michiru was doing the same to Haruka's mask, and their mouths met with sudden passion, eliciting a slight moan from each. Michiru's arms instantly slid around Haruka's neck, and Haruka nearly picked Michiru up in her desire to pull the girl closer, though it was physically impossible. They kissed heatedly for a few moments before they pulled away slightly, their noses touching, their gazes locked.

"I love you," Haruka said fiercely, her grip on her partner never wavering.

Michiru cherished the tight embrace. "I love you, too," she returned, before kissing the blonde again, tenderly. She pulled away and they stepped to the railing together, almost afraid to place too much distance between them in fear of losing each other.

They held each other and gazed up at the sky, the Earth taking up the majority of their view. It glowed a peaceful white, the blue and green swirls seeming to cast their vibrant colors to the reflecting light.

Suddenly Michiru gasped in anguish, collapsing to her knees as a sharp, sudden wave of dread washed over her. It made her stomach turn, and she felt as though she were about to vomit, but just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, and she realized Haruka was calling her name, concerned. She came slightly out of her daze to notice Haruka had knelt beside her and had an arm around her, her other hand on the side of her face. Had she really felt what she suspected?

"Michiru! Michiru? Are you all right?" Haruka's voice faded again and Michiru closed her eyes to focus her mind.

No, she was certain. She opened her eyes and looked straight into Haruka's teal ones.

"It's started."

--

Sorry for the cliff hanger. I mean, it's not like you guys don't know what happens. I mean really. :P

JOIN ME FOR THE NEXT EPISODE! -cue Kanine Krunchies music-

….or not. :X

Listen, I'm crazy over here. I'm sorry. Feel free to leave me a review, because I do enjoy them quite.

See ya next time pals! ;)


	16. Final Phase

Woah, now, I know you guys don't remember me, but I'm back, half a year later, with the end of this story! How exciting, right?

I went on a quest to secure the rights to Sailor Moon. But as you can probably deduce, I came back empty-handed. And finished writing this story.

There's some death and violence in this chapter, but that's pretty much standard I suppose...

____________________________________________

Quickly, Haruka and Michiru dashed back into the ballroom to gather the other senshi. Upon arriving at the eerily calm, lethargic scene, they noticed that Makoto, Rei, Ami and Minako had all gathered, sporting identical worried expressions, but Usagi was nowhere to be found.

"She's still on the balcony with Endymion," Michiru stated as they reached the others, and Haruka nodded.

"She'll be all right for now," Haruka began. "We're out of time. We need to take action." Everyone nodded and summoned their wands, but as they geared up to transform, a loud, sonic boom filled the air, terrifying the dancing guests, and they stopped dancing in order to scream.

The ensuing wave of energy from the blast nearly knocked the civilianized senshi off their feet, and as the guests began to flee in terror, they noticed that Artemis and Luna had taken to running through the crowd, shouting for preparedness and alerting them to the situation. Civilians were stampeding towards the shelter, and amidst the pandemonium in the room, the senshi transformed.

No sooner had they finished their transformations when a gigantic pillar from outside toppled into the building, falling through the roof. The senshi leaped out of the way just in time to witness the pillar crashing into the floor with an excruciatingly loud slam.

"This is it," Mars said grimly.

"Right. Let's do this," Jupiter agreed bitterly, clenching her fists.

They were about to split apart when Queen Serenity reached them. "It's no use. They won't listen." She paused, and took in the state of the senshi. "Where's Usagi?"

At the sudden pause from the senshi, and suddenly terrified for her daughter, the Queen dashed off to locate her, ignoring Uranus and Neptune's frantic pleas for her to stick to the plan. The Queen knew she would die- she would not be without her daughter in these last moments.

Cursing, Uranus turned back to the Inners, and met each one's gaze briefly. "We need to follow the plan," she said, her tone low and serious. "We're here to do everything we can right now." As another sonic boom shook the foundation of the palace, the senshi rushed into action.

"We'll meet the troops head on," Venus started. "Don't worry." She turned to the others. "Let's go, everyone." She took off hastily, flanked by Mercury and Mars.

Uranus grabbed Jupiter's arm. "Mako…" she began. She paused, unsure of what to say, but hoping her friend would catch her message.

Jupiter smiled. "You, too." She grasped Uranus's hand gently for a moment, and then moved to catch up with her fellow senshi.

"It's just us, now," Uranus said sadly, knowing the other senshi were racing to their deaths.

"We're the only defense left," Neptune added, placing her hand on Uranus's shoulder. "We'll see them again…"

Uranus nodded, her expression hardening. "Let's catch up with the Queen."

___________________________________________

Outside the palace, the inner senshi were confronted with the whole of the Dark Kingdom's army, which consisted mostly of civilians that had been brainwashed and reinstructed, and daimons. Amongst the troops was a lone figure of a woman who looked to be some sort of Queen, and a gigantic, shadowy, evil mass that darkened the entire sky with its body. Its red eyes and cruel mouth smiled down at the senshi, and as they reached the front line of troops, they were each engaged by a Dark Kingdom general.

"Starting today, I will rule the entire galaxy! No one will defy me! Our beloved Metalia, this is the birth of our Dark Kingdom!" The Queen cried with glee, pointing her staff in the air, which gave off random jolts of green electric power. The shadowy figure, Metalia, laughed at the tribute, and watched, amused, as the senshi continued to fight.

They were holding their ground well, but the Queen soon grew tired of watching the brawl and waved her shaft in the air again, instructing Metalia to blast the perimeter. Seconds later, thousands of electric bolts rained down, killing the inner senshi instantly.

Uranus and Neptune had reached the balcony they had previously stood on. The balcony itself had been blown away, leaving a large jagged hole with some crumbling chunks of building before it. They witnessed the death of the inners just as they reached the outside, and, completely shocked, faltered for a moment at the massacre.

They quickly regained their composure, for they were the last line of defense for the princess and queen, and they stood in a jagged hole in the wall between the Dark Kingdom and the royal balcony. Usagi and Endymion were standing on the opposite balcony, with the Queen halfway between them and the two outer senshi.

After a quick survey, the two senshi realized the danger their Queen was in, and what they needed to do to correct it- to engage the enemy on the ground.

"Here we go," Uranus muttered darkly, and her eyes widened as she felt Neptune grab her hand gently.

"Haruka, I--"

Neptune was silenced by a quick, passionate kiss. Uranus met her blue eyes. "I know, Michiru."

They turned back to the Dark Kingdom forces, and jumped.

Landing on the ground, they were surprised to find that Endymion had moved to stand beside them.

"Those are my former generals," Endymion stated sadly, unsheathing his sword. The two senshi nodded in understanding and prepared to attack.

In an instant, they felt shards of dark energy raining down on them from the shadowy mass, and their power became slightly weaker. In that moment of hesitation, the troops and generals attacked.

At first, Uranus and Neptune were able to hold their own ground, much as the inners had done, but the sheer numbers of the Dark Kingdom were slowly but surely prevailing. In a last desperate attempt, the two leaped to reach the Dark Kingdom Queen, but were instantly met by two of the generals.

"Good work, Nephrite, Kunzite," The Queen cackled as the two generals advanced on the two Outer senshi. "I have other matters to attend to," she muttered, and disappeared.

"Your attempt was brave, but very foolish," the auburn-haired general, Nephrite, complimented as he unsheathed his sword and beckoned to Uranus.

"But no one will ever stop Queen Beryl," Kunzite, the remaining general, finished. He gestured to the balcony where Queen Beryl had suddenly rematerialized, poised to attack an unprotected Usagi.

"NO!" Uranus and Neptune both shouted in fear, and moved as if to jump in the way. In that moment, the two generals took their chance to strike.

Nephrite charged Uranus, his sword barely missing her on his first swing. Uranus, weaponless, slashed at Nephrite, her sword materializing in her hand as she did so. Nephrite dodged, and the two continued to sword fight.

At the same time, Kunzite had unleashed his twin pink energy sabers on Neptune, who had done a good job of avoiding and deflecting them with her mirror. They seemed evenly matched, but Neptune still had her planetary powers to use, and waited for an opening to do so.

Uranus could hear the exhange of dialogue between Queen Beryl and Endymion, who had rushed to stop the Dark Kingdom Queen's advance. The insults to the Princess angered her, and she knew that Nephrite was only minutes away from being defeated.

Nephrite knew this, too, but he would not be overcome so easily. He signaled for some spare daimons to rush forward, and within moments Uranus was overrun. Nephrite used the distraction to land a blow to Uranus's head with the pommel of his sword. Staggering from the blow, she struggled to regain her footing but gasped when Nephrite's sword cut into her upper chest, barely missing her heart. She lost her breath as the general planted his foot on her diaphragm and kicked her off of his sword, pushing her back to land on her back, knocking even more air from her. She cringed in agony as she took a painful breath, coughing from the blood seeping into her lungs.

Laughing, Nephrite leaned down close. "No one can defeat the Dark Kingdom," he stated, then stood and, as an afterthought, spit on the fallen senshi. Uranus, choking but concentrating solely on breathing, listened to the sound of debris crunching under Nephrite's boots growing fainter and struggled to stay alive.

Neptune was not immune to Uranus's pain, and the depth of their bond forced some slight agony on the water senshi as well. She had already felt herself starting to slip as Kunzite had employed the same tactics Nephrite had used to overcome her partner, but with the addition of Uranus's anguish she braced herself for her own demise.

It came quickly, for Kunzite did not wait for the daimons to overcome her. He charged with them, and she felt one of his energy sabers stab into her bare thigh. Crying out and losing her balance, she tried to avoid his second saber, but was unsuccessful- it connected with her back ribs, effectively spearing her kidney. She fell forward onto her stomach, clenching her teeth to keep from screaming.

Kunzite laughed triumphantly and placed his foot on Neptune's face. "Such a shame a pretty thing like you had to die," he said, amused. He caught Nephrite's eye, who shook his head and rolled his eyes at him, then walked away. "But the Dark Kingdom never loses." Kunzite grinned and followed after his comrade, leaving Neptune suffering on the ground.

She could hear troops running past them. She could also see Uranus a few feet away, her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling unsteadily. She wanted to call out to her, but felt like she had no strength left.

A sudden, piercing sound caught both of the dying senshi's attention, and in the distance they could see Endymion and Princess Serenity floating lifelessly near the balcony.

Queen Serenity's anguished cry of her daughter's name reached their ears and in that moment, they knew it was over. Not even the princess remained.

Uranus felt a tear streak from her eye but she was still unable to move. Her head dropped to the side and her eyes caught Neptune's blue ones, also filled with tears. Her heart began to ache even more at the sight. She wished she could do something, anything, to ease her partner's pain, but she could only lay there in silent agony.

Around them the environment began to change. Smoke was swirling around into the air. Pieces of buildings were being sucked into the vortex created by Metalia, only to fall back towards the moon a few yards away.

Loud, piercing laughter began to reverberate from Metalia, echoing across the entire moon. "She's dead! The moon princess is dead!" Queen Beryl screamed ecstatically, laughing maniacally with the evil mass above.

It sent chills through the two senshi, so much so that they almost didn't notice that their powers were slowly drifting from them to another, stronger point. All of a sudden, Luna's clear voice reached them.

"Queen Serenity, if you use the Silver Crystal, your life…"

"My life is nothing compared to peace in our galaxy," The Queen replied in a strong, determined voice. She raised the crystal into the air and rays of silver light began to depart from it, shooting straight for Metalia's dark form.

As the Dark Kingdom's forces were destroyed by Queen Serenity's own life energy, Uranus and Neptune felt their bodies suddenly being drained of pain. Around them the environment was changing again, the Dark Kingdom troops were being shredded by silver beams, and everything became sucked into the vortex created by the silver crystal to be sealed away, except for the lifeless bodies of their fellow senshi. The atmosphere had a calm pinkish-silver glow.

Knowledge suddenly appeared in their heads; they now realized what was happening, how they would be reborn, and they locked eyes, scared of finding each other in their next life.

"Haruka," Neptune called softly, reaching her hand towards the senshi of the wind.

Uranus caught her hand immediately. "Yes?"

"Will I… ever…"

Uranus squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Yes." She smiled faintly. "Don't worry. We'll find each other." She paused. "I love you, Michiru."

Michiru smiled back. "I love you, Haruka."

"Until we meet again…"

__________________________________________

Queen Serenity watched as the senshi, encased in protective bubbles, floated to Earth to be reborn.

"Serenity and all of our sailor warriors, may your love be fulfilled in a future on Earth… and in the future on Earth… please live happy lives."

__________________________________________

Aww… See, not too sad is it? :X

Hold on, we've got one more chapter to go… the epilogue is super short so I went ahead and posted it, too. You can thank me later. ;)

Also, I had originally planned to write what Queen Serenity shouted when she held up the moon crystal to destroy Metalia and the others, but I just couldn't bring myself to put "MOON HEALING ESCALATION" in my story. I'm sorry. :(

Haha. ;)


	17. Epilogue: New Moon

"The silence is approaching. We must find the Messiah quickly. The ones who can do that are you and I."

Haruka awoke suddenly in a cold sweat, sitting up in bed and gasping. She looked wildly around the room and, once she was absolutely sure that it was her bedroom and not a scene of mass destruction she was seeing, she calmed down, holding her forehead as the visions from her dream returned to her.

"It's that dream again," she mumbled softly to herself. She looked out the window of her apartment, watching the rain slide down the glass. She caught her eyes in her reflection, remembering the hauntingly beautiful blue eyes of the woman in her dream.

"That girl… who is she?"

Glancing at her clock she realized she would never get back to sleep, so instead decided on an early start to the day. She went about her normal morning routine, pausing only to have a slightly better breakfast than usual. She had a track race that afternoon, and although she was confident she would win without breaking a sweat, she felt like something important was going to happen.

_______________________________________

Later that day, as she had anticipated, she won the race without really trying. Truthfully, such events bored her, but she needed something to occupy her time with. As she was leaving, a fellow competitor stopped her to compliment her speed. She paused to acknowledge the girl, Elsa, when she suddenly was introduced to someone new.

Almost instantly she felt a cold chill run down her spine. This girl was breathtakingly beautiful, but there was something different about her. She looked awfully familiar. It wasn't until the girl looked up, and Haruka caught her piercing blue eyes, that she made the connection.

It's her. That girl from her dream.

The girl opened her mouth to speak, and that's when Haruka knew for sure.

"You can hear the wind blowing, can't you?"

________________________________________________________________________

THE END! :D

I told you it would end happily! I didn't lie!

I hope you enjoyed this long story, and I apologize that it took so long to finish. However, I will say that I have a few more ideas lined up so perhaps I shall keep writing. If I do, I hope you will have the stomach to read my next story, haha. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, and to everyone who read but didn't review.

See you soon, pals! :D


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